I have been reading An Altar in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor; in it she provides a beautiful reflection on the practice of "encountering others" that I shared with the congregation this past Sunday. Yesterday I realized how I had experienced this - not really from doing anything on my part other than "showing up," but through the grace of others. There is great power in simple encounters.
I will confess that Wednesday I started out feeling a little irritable. It was one of those days I would have preferred to just stick to myself. However, whatever was irritating me was soon erased after the greetings I received at The Largest Table. The moment I came downstairs I was greeted by someone who had not been here for awhile and shared with me how much he missed it, and how he was glad to see me. Everyone was raving about the chili and baked potatoes from Wendy's that the staff and students from The Wellington School had brought for lunch. The news must have spread outside our building because I met a couple of people who told me that they had come because someone had told them what a great meal they had just had. And the music! Wellington also brought several students who played brass instuments and keyboard for our lunchtime entertainment. They were fantastic and the fun atmosphere prompted smiles, laughter, and applause. All of this served to pull me out of my own worries and recognize how much there is to be grateful for.
I will confess that Wednesday I started out feeling a little irritable. It was one of those days I would have preferred to just stick to myself. However, whatever was irritating me was soon erased after the greetings I received at The Largest Table. The moment I came downstairs I was greeted by someone who had not been here for awhile and shared with me how much he missed it, and how he was glad to see me. Everyone was raving about the chili and baked potatoes from Wendy's that the staff and students from The Wellington School had brought for lunch. The news must have spread outside our building because I met a couple of people who told me that they had come because someone had told them what a great meal they had just had. And the music! Wellington also brought several students who played brass instuments and keyboard for our lunchtime entertainment. They were fantastic and the fun atmosphere prompted smiles, laughter, and applause. All of this served to pull me out of my own worries and recognize how much there is to be grateful for.
That evening there were several people at my home for a meeting. While we attended to business, there was also laughter and much genuine give and take about what was going on in our lives. Simply talking with others about concerns I had in my head suddenly made them seem much smaller and more manageable.
There is great power in simple encounters.
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