what matters........

"My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together."

Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Communion is a sharing of ideas and of our true feelings through fellowship, while experiencing something together. Events in our lives offer us a platform to recognize that our own humanity is a reflection of the people we share these events with. These reflections have a brilliance to them that is far more revealing than simply looking at our own reflection in the mirror. Sometimes, our personal revelations shock us when we encounter someone from our past we havent seen in a long time, for example.....we may realize that somehow time has slipped by so rapidly in one quick glance at an aging face we almost didn't recognize.

We allow our lives to be jam packed filled with lists of "to dos" which seem to override the meaningful moments when humanity is reflected, when communion happens. Sometimes, we are so full of planning and getting through the day to day stuff that we don't even recognize a moment of communion when it's happening because we aren't "present" to it. We're thinking of other things or rushing to get to another destination.

What is wrong with us? Why do we not stop and take it all in? Is it denial? Fear? Forgetfulness of what is important?

Tonight, I sat in a small theatre to watch my daughter perform in a play. It was a struggle at first to pick myself up for the event because as this one was going on, another one was happening in another province under very different circumstances. My husband and extended family and many many friends were attending the visitation for my father in law. I was feeling quite torn, as I tried to put up a good supportive front for my daughter all the while wondering how things were in Ontario. But, as soon as I walked into the building where the theatre is located, I was surprisingly greeted by parents and colleagues I knew well who also had children and grandchildren in the play. As we waited for the doors to open, we caught up. Many acknowledged the death of my father in law as they had read about it in the newspaper. Their thoughts and genuine feelings truly reflected humanity. As much I had been feeling I belonged with the crew in Ontario, when I stood amongst the people in my community here, I realized I belonged at the theatre tonight as well.

The shocking revelation came when the lights went down and I gazed at my beautiful daughter dressed in a costume, surrounded by a group of young actors whom she has spent one evening a week with since September learning lines and practising new acting skills and realized that somehow she had grown up! (I admit, this is a revelation which seems to happen weekly!!) Her strong confidence and sense of self had somehow evolved when perhaps I was busy crossing things off on my list? It was a very important night for her, and I'm grateful that despite our collective sense of feeling disconnected to the events happening with our extended family, she was able to go on with the show, and I was able to be present to this communion.

Our lives are too busy.......we need to create moments when we can come together with others to celebrate, to recognize, to acknowledge our interwoven humanity in order to be human together.......we shouldn't only do this when an event is foisted upon us. Isn't this the key to a life fulfilled? Shouldn't we be aiming for more moments of honest revelations?

What do you think?