I am home tonight, for a quick stopover in between hosting a women’s retreat in the woods and then traveling tomorrow (after teaching one of my weekly classes) to Minneapolis for an Art of Hosting training.
My life, these days, is all about hosting meaningful, heart-based conversations, whether they take place in the classroom, at a retreat centre in the woods, around the table in a rural coffee shop, or over the phone or Skype. I am listening deeply, coaxing a lot of stories to come forward, sharing from my heart, and doing my best to create safe space for vulnerability to show up.
I can hardly imagine more important work to be doing than this. These spaces where conversations happen and people connect with each other are where the life blood of the world is pulsing. This is where change begins to happen. This is where hope grows.
At the end of the weekend retreat, each of the women was gifted with a stone that had a word carved in it (hope, love, courage, peace) and a beaded bracelet that reminds them of the circle they are now connected to. I asked them to hold out their hands, and it was only after I took the picture that I saw that the attempt at a circle had come out looking more like a heart. Either way, it works for me!