Your Neighbor Is A Spiritual Gateway Drug
We are slowly clearing the property we bought last August. Yesterday I had the boys fill up the firepit with the brush we are removing. Our neighbor was also working in his yard, and as the boys do, they sparked up conversation. The neighbor has a pond so there was a secondary motivation for a new friendship: they love fishing. We have met most of our new neighbors and look forward to getting to know them all. No matter where Diane and I have lived we have always held the door open. It’s who we are. Our neighbors have always been a gateway drug to the Divine. Over the 26 years married and the 15 places we have lived, our travels have always been marked by our new friends and the connections we have with them. I think of our first house and Don, the next door neighbor, who helped Diane after I moved to Minneapolis and we were apart for seven months. I think of our apartment in Minneapolis we called the “Brick Trailer Park“ where we would walk our dogs with our neighbor Frank who would later ask us to become Godparents to his twins. I think of Grand Rapids and the creation of "Patioville.” Five families sharing Sunday dinners. Some 15 years later patiovile is still going. I think of the Carlsbad house and the creation of “Happy Fun Time!” which brought hundreds of people from all over the country to a fire pit in our backyard. I think of the Fallbrook house and Trevor. A 10 year old forever shirtless boy who loved our family and was always quick to make us laugh. We are thankful for our travels and the incredibly different people we have met along the way. From porn stars to 10 year olds, it's been a crazy ride. As I write, Z and Angel are most likely encroaching a bit too close for our new social distancing lifestyle as they become fishers of men themselves. The Divine asks us every day to warm to our community; hold the door open regardless of where they come from or what they believe. I am hopeful this time of lockdown will produce for you new traditions among your community.
Who are your neighbors?
Are you interested in spiritual direction? Here’s how to get started.
Step 1. Schedule a complimentary, no-obligation consult. Do that here.
Step 2. Watch your email for questions from me. Before we hop on the phone, I’d like to know a bit about you and what you’d like to get out of spiritual direction or coaching with me.
Step 3. Hit “reply” to that email and answer the questions.
Step 4. At the scheduled time of your consult, we’ll talk! We’ll use the opportunity to make sure we’re the perfect fit.
Step 5. Then we’ll get started! If you decide to work with me, I’ll tell you the exact steps for getting started. If you decide not to work with me or if we aren’t a perfect fit, I’m happy to share other resources to help you get what you need.
Have questions? You can call me… 619.964.0337
