Coming Together

Apr 14, 2024

So I’ve been thinking about this post all week. Though the original inspiration hit me in the middle of the eclipse last Monday, it was driven home again yesterday. (Being a spiritual man, I believe sometimes God circles back around and gives me reminders – to make sure I get things right.)

My wife and I spent the afternoon of the eclipse with my oldest son’s in-laws at the Botanic Gardens in Fort Worth, Texas. Though the majority of people were sitting on blankets in wide-open spaces, our small group found a nice lady who shared her bench with us. It was great. We talked; we laughed; we had an unobstructed view of the eclipse. And when totality occurred, the Gardens erupted in applause. For over four minutes, everyone was gazing upward, in community with others, and in awe.

And for over four minutes, everyone felt connected through a shared sense of humanity. We were all little beings in a grand universe. And we weren’t judging others, complaining, or arguing. “Boy, could we all use a few more eclipses in our lives,” I thought to myself. Sometimes it takes a grand event, like an eclipse, to help us come together.

This theme was echoed yesterday when my wife and I had a get-together for a core group of us from our church who have been leading monthly Taizé services for the last 25 years. The service is modeled after one that has been taking place in Taizé, France since 1940. People from all over the world gather in Taizé for prayer, meditation, and music. Yep – people of different backgrounds, believes, cultures, faiths, and traditions – all coming together finding shared purpose.

I believe this is timely message, as in our homes, communities, nation and world, division seems to be overtaking us. Though we don’t have control of world patterns, each day we do have continual opportunities to look for common ground with others as a means of coming together, connecting, and healing. I acknowledge this is not always easy – or at times even feasible – but in my opinion, it’s a step in the right direction.

Have a great week.

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