Friends-- My heartfelt thanks to everyone who has shared feelings, perspectives, forwarded many different viewpoints in the last two and a half weeks. It has been wonderful to have voices from around the world and a variety of windows through which to view the terrorist attacks. The magnitude of the event seemed for me to demand a wider understanding than I could manage on my own. Your words and actions are helping to heal my soul.
In spite of the tragic deaths and widening circles of effects on our society, life is going on in many sustaining ways. One of my own personal challenges is to try to live in Open Space, and keep that space open whatever is going on in and around me. In that spirit, I'd like to share the following. This is a personal story, so please feel free to delete if you are not interested. Thanks, Joelle Another Wedding in Open Space Unlike some other recent rep[orts, this one was not officially planned as an Open Space event, but that is the way it happened--spacious, self-organizing, openhearted. Whoever comes are the right people: This was a second marriage for both, and they did not want a big wedding. Their first thought was to slip away to a favorite spot and be married. But when the time came they invited the bride's mother and stepfather with their current partners, the groom's parents (Paul and I) and one brother to go with them to Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Whenever it starts is the right time: The wedding had been postponed several times by the illness of the bride's grandparents. Her grandmother died in late August, her grandfather died an hour before the funeral service. Now, in September, the bride is seven months pregnant--time to celebrate this union. The physical space of the ceremony could hardly have been more beautiful. A swift mountain river flows through Glenwood Canyon. The steep cliffs and peaks on either side are huge rock, red dirt, hillsides of evergreen splashed with patches of bright yellow aspen. The skies were clear deep blue, with hot sun and cool breezes. The wedding procession was a walk a quarter mile or more on a paved path which curves along the river to the trailhead of the Hanging Lake trail. The bride set off on the arm of her husband-to-be, joyously marching to her own inner music, white chiffon blowing in the breeze around her expanded waistline. Family members fell in line behind. I still have a cast on my leg, so brought up the rear in a borrowed wheelchair. John and Shannon picked a pretty spot under the trees, with the river in the background; we set up a video camera and stood in a semi-circle facing them. They read the ceremony they had written (they were still writing at breakfast time), asked family members to read some favorite pieces, exchanged vows and the rings they had designed. Then we all joined them and offered good wishes and blessings on camera, since many family members were not able to be present. The rest of the three days were filled with hiking and visits to the hot springs pool, walks around town and shared meals, much good talk and laughter. Getting to know this new family that is being created. Stepping out of our everyday lives to honor the spirit of this sacred moment. Just as we all do when we open a new space. * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected], Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
