Well, here we are, three days after Thanksgiving and still feeling gorged from all that wonderful food.
This year, Megan and I took a break from a very intense period of working on our book from dawn to dust each weekend to travel northward to our friend’s place in Maryland where each year they open their home to a large contingency of our closest friends, all of whom train with us in the martial arts. It has been several years since we had the opportunity to join this group for Thanksgiving meal. And I found that the years away made the reunion extra special for both Megan and I.
While we were only up there for three days total, it felt like our time among these chosen family was truly a vacation from the madness that had been our life and our work for more than the past year.
And along with the 20 other friends with whom we shared our company, we also found that there was the space within this relaxation to listen and learn from the stories of service and shared experiences that were all enjoyed around the Thanksgiving table.
Perhaps one of the best parts of this weekend, aside from the overall opportunity to laugh and tell stories with some of our dearest friends, was the opportunity to reconnect with a very close mentor who I had not seen in nearly seven years. Both Megan & I had suspected before going up that she might be there for the holiday meal. Despite the fact that we keep tabs on each other from a distance via FB, neither Megan or I were certain if she would be there.
Thanksgiving morning, I sat in the front parlor of our friend’s house engaging in some obscure conversation about the nature of humanity with several of our friends when I glanced out the window to see a distinctly familiar jeep pulling a U-turn and coming to rest in front of the house. I immediately knew from the outline of the figure in the driver’s seat who it was. And giggled with delight as I watched her come toward the driveway.
Megan watched the door and the two of us smiled at each other while we waited to our friend enter. As she entered, I sat with my back toward the front door, continued to engage in the discussion at hand. But as I talked, her expression turned in my direction, and I burst out laughing knowing that Megan and I had surprised her.
After the tears of an extended welcome came to rest, we had a delightful conversation catching up over the past seven years, and by the time we finished our exchange, it was nearly the evening.
While we talked for those few hours, it was clear that our connection had never been lost, and while the time spent out of touch had changed aspects of who we are, coming back together brought forth an experience of remembering the truth of who we are could stay connected despite time and distance.
This indeed, is what I am truly thankful for this season and look forward for the years to come in which reconnected may continue for us as well as for others.
~Barton