The other day I hiked into one of my favorite places around my home. It feels sacred. There is an old, gnarled cottonwood tree, sitting beside a creek, under the presence of a huge rock outcropping.
I went to ground myself as I prepare to share live conversations with people working within our border communities.
I sat under the tree with the intention of finding a specific question to hold, and then listening for what surfaced to provide clarity.
As soon as I sat down - before I could ask any specific question - I heard very clearly, "Until you can all love each other, nothing else is possible.".
And with a clarity as loud as the words being shared with me, I knew this to be true. True and also so incredibly difficult with where we stand in this current moment.
Then the next question emerged, "How can this truth be accessible to me, and all of us?". There was no loud voice offering next steps to this question, but this is where I landed... What if we can all work on seeing each other through the lens and filters of our hearts?
When I think of this in terms of the sharing I am jumping into next week, it feels critical. I am going to stand in the fire and learn - through trial and error - how to share difficult stories in a way that they can be heard. In a way, that regardless of what side of the political chasm we stand right now, we can see the humanity in one another.
I'm going to continue to try - with failures and successes - because I know the truth of the words shared with me. I know that is our hope. And I'm not ready to give up yet.