Barely recovered from vacation, I drove north alone to join
some interfaith friends for a total eclipse gathering. (My husband was joining his guy friends
elsewhere.) In less than an hour I
arrived at a cabin surrounded by lots of trees.
The owners and a guest greeted me.
Once I got settled in, I ate some lunch and we talked. And we talked and we talked. And we laughed. There was so much laughter. We took a short drive around the area, a little
tour. Soon, it was time for dinner—chili,
cornbread, and kale salad. The
conversation continued. We watched a
movie then headed for bed.
In Idaho cell service can be spotty or non-existent in rural
areas. Such is the case in this
location. No land line. No TV. I can receive some emails and texts but
sending out is difficult. This means
that we can concentrate on the people around us.
The next morning my roommate and I slept in. It felt good.
We enjoyed a late breakfast and we were sipping coffee and chatting when
the last two guests arrived. They were
served lunch. The six of us sat around
the table and we talked. What great
conversation! In fact, we sat there and
talked for hours. I can’t remember the
last time I did that.
We are a diverse group brought together by interfaith
connections. My hosts and my roommate
are all Jewish, active in their congregation and in the community. The couple who arrived last is a mixed
marriage—he is a practicing Muslim and she is a not so active Christian. I am Christian. Our female host does not have a college
degree but has been part of a family business since she was a young woman. She is not hurting for money. Her husband has both a law degree and a
doctorate; he worked as a teacher, among other things. My roommate is a retired teacher with a
doctorate degree who taught refugee kids, college, and more. One guest is an engineering professor and
another is a retired counselor. We all
have some experience working for human rights.
One person was involved in the civil rights movement when he was a
student. These people have traveled
and/or lived abroad. They are smart,
religious, and active in our community.
When we decided to rise from the table, a couple people took
naps, a couple visited on the deck, and my roommate and I went for a walk. We came together a couple hours later for
dinner. The six of us ate on the deck
and once again enjoyed a lively conversation –for hours. We were shocked to learn when we walked
inside that it was after 10:00 p.m.
These conversations have left me wanting more. What did we talk about? All sorts of things—religion, politics,
travel, people, living abroad, our upbringing, loss of children, and more. Although we did not agree on everything,
these were polite conversations. We listened respectfully to each other. And we laughed. Our hostess has a collection of jokes in her
head and a dry sense of humor—she’s good with the one liners. I sat there wishing that there could be more
conversations like this in our country.
If we could all sit down with people different from us and get to know
them, it would make a huge difference in our country. We talked about how to change the minds of
young people who are neo-Nazis—a few at a time.
Love and respect for our fellow human beings is essential if we want to
turn around the divisiveness in our country.
All six of us are trying to make a positive difference in our community—in
different ways.
This morning we woke up early to be ready for the total
eclipse. We placed our chairs out in the
driveway. Two visitors at the cabin next
door joined us. This special experience
was made so much better by the people present.
We joked and took photos of each other.
When the moon finally covered the sun completely and it became dark, we
were in awe. What an experience to
share! Not only will I remember the
solar eclipse, I will remember those with whom I shared this amazing day.
Written on 8/21/2017
