They crunched as I walked briskly over them, with my attention toward the wind and waves. It wasn't until I sat down and looked closely at what was around me that I noticed how many of the shells weren't crushed at all. For every hundred shards, there were another five fully formed miniature shells - some a bit roughed up and some completely unscathed.
I collected hundreds of them, on my own little adventure of discovery and wonder. As I pocketed each one, my thoughts moved to shells as a metaphor for humanity.
Our lives are launched in one geographic place and family of origin, but our life trajectory lands us in our synagogue communities in a variety of conditions. The DNA of Judaism infuses our communal calendar, ritual and values with an understanding of the continual need to acknowledge the dynamic nature of wholeness and brokenness.We celebrate life cycle moments, we comfort mourners, visit the sick, reach out to the poor. Every year we review our lives; every week we have the opportunity to re-charge our selves.
On Thursday, I will go on retreat with 27 kehilla presidents in our Sulam for Presidents program. I have written before that I am working on developing the habit of relational thinking. It is easy to view people I meet as participants, stakeholders, clients, customers, potential-fill-in-the-blank - (members, colleagues, friends) - and overlook who they are at that moment in my company. One of the luxuries of Sulam for Presidents is that we stay together for three days. We have time and a variety of ways to interact and get to know one another. I am trying to slow down and encounter each person as a whole - with curiosity about the quirk of fate that landed us all on the same ten feet of beach.
