THE FIRST SUPPER

THE FIRST SUPPER

Several weeks ago I allowed several blocks in my life to prevent me from communicating my heart. You see, I had been extremely diligent about writing my BLOGS each and every Monday night for posting on Tuesdays for my readers. It had become my passion to share my stories and my relevant life lessons with my friends.

Back in December, I had the misfortune of having my old email address cut off abruptly when I left the company where I had been for 5 years. Unfortunately, I did not to have the opportunity to alert my 8,000 contacts that my e-mail address was being changed and I had difficulty restoring my contact list and getting my email to function properly until late yesterday.

Everything I tried had backfired! I was so frustrated knowing that I had potentially lost something so precious to me.

Then I was asked to return my computer after having been told that it was mine to keep.

It is amazing how much of our life we store in our little black “Bill Gates Box”. Like an airline flight recorder, it contains vital information about where we have been, what we have said and to whom, and gems of self discovery along our destined path.

My black box (called “my computer”) housed my software, my passwords, my presentations, and the most important things in life to me…my photos and my contact list from 30 years of working with powerful and lifelong friends.

I had taken for granted that my friends needed “updating” by me. I had kept them all neatly tucked away in this little box without regard to having to pay attention to any one of them. Deep down, I knew that I could easily connect with any one of them any time I choose by just clicking a letter of the alphabet in my search window and choosing my “friend of the day!”

But after loosing 8,000 friends in one moment…it felt like Haiti’s tragic effects to my soul all over again. The precious connections that I had taken for granted were gone in an instant. I was a gut wrenching feeling. My heart had lost its playmates!

We all get so busy these days that we each take a great deal for granted…especially the people who have brought meaning and rich experiences to our lives. I never worried about having to stay in touch because they were always just one click away.

As my parents now move into their early 80’s together, I know more than ever how precious our connection is. I used to tell myself that they were always just a phone call away in South Carolina, but that is not what they need from me now. They know more than anyone just how precious each day is here on this beautiful planet and I know that physically touching them, holding them and sharing laughs with them will be my most powerful moments on earth now. We are here to connect heart-to-heart with one another and express our love openly and sometimes without words. The heart is a master communicator, even in its silence.

With that in mind, I invited 11 friends from different parts of my past who did not know one another over to dine with me last Friday night. As we all sat down to dinner, I said Grace and thanked them for their presence in my life.

I then spent 5 minutes looking at each person eye-to-eye and heart-to-heart telling them personally what a powerful role they had played in my life’s developing evolution. They had each been a “compassionate tour guide” pointing me down the right path when I stopped for directions. My heart’s desire was to express my love and appreciation for them being who they were when I most needed them to just be themselves in my life.

Each friend was a stranger this night to one another, but dear friends to me.

We each built a bridge with our hearts this memorable evening and willingly removed anything “foreign” or “guarded”. It was serene, peaceful and joyous. We redefined “quality time” in those 3 hours. We had no agenda, no TV, and no forced or superficial conversation. It was a time for stories, fellowship, laughter, tears and gratitude.

To me, I was instantly transported back to my small home in Columbia, SC in 1960. There, I used to sit with my then 30 year-old vibrant parents around the dinner table. We talked about our day, we talked about our dreams and we were excited about our direction and the promise of a new day that President Kennedy foretold.

Magic is still a choice we make.

Love knows no strangers

Friendship is defined by the commitment we individually make to share from our hearts.

Laughter and joy is our heart’s way of allowing trust and comfort to embrace us tenderly.

This was one of the most powerful evenings that I had ever witnessed. It started with an invitation to open my home; it ended with a collective promise to expose our hearts.

We all agreed to gather every two weeks from now on because on this fateful evening, our hearts had filled us beyond our menu at this FIRST SUPPER.

Blessings to you one and all!