Less Isolation, More Solidarity
Dear Thad's Family,
Our Lent theme this year is Less is More. Last we week we explored what it means to be Less Plugged, More Present. This week we are focused on Less Isolation, More Solidarity. Solidarity has become an important word for me, and I think it will be for the Thad's community as well. Solidarity is like a next step and natural extension of being present, where we look, listen, and get closer to the heart beat of another.
We had an amazing Sunday morning with Imam Jihad Turk sharing so openly with us. Going into this "interfaith conversation" I had my ideas about what solidarity means. I tend to categorize people, especially those who I may see as marginalized, yet when I'm in simple proximity with another with an open heart, the categories can fade away. We can just be human together, both in the joy and burden of it. There as a moment when Jihad shed tears, as he reflected on his own journey of transforming his pain into a vital source of love. As he opened himself, there was something powerful in the room that we could all identify with.
Hebrew Scholar Walter Brueggemann, in writing about the psalms, says, "Because God has promised to be with us, we find our challenges strangely transformed, not by easy light, but by the power of relentless solidarity." God offers us relentless solidarity. How can we do the same? Whether we do laundry for others, hand out food, listen to one another, or pray for another...what does solidarity mean to you? Let's explore together. E-mail vanessa@thads.org and share with us your thoughts, stories, practices, struggles and find this week's Lent phone wallpaper HERE!
Lent Blessings,
Jon