During this limited production called life you never know who you will meet and what you will learn.
At a wonderful Christmas party last night, I met three incredible women who shared intimate aspects of their lives amidst a roaring fire as warm and welcoming as the candid conversation we shared.
The experience was invigorating. Trying to connect with strangers can sometimes be an awkward exercise full of pregnant pauses and forced cheer. But I could have talked with these women all night.
The lovely party occurred in three different parts of my friend’s home. So while one room howled with laughter and shared stories at top-volume, and another room functioned as the TV-watching man cave, the quieter living room we sat in was ideal for real talk. So that’s what four of us engaged in.
We learned that one woman with expressive eyes lost her 12 year-old daughter to cancer a year and a day ago, an outgoing woman I am Facebook friends with lost her mom around the Christmas holiday and a third woman, who glowed with optimism, battled breast cancer four times.
Their courage, compassion and composure blew me away. Their struggles and strategies for dealing with loss and grief eventually turned to a discussion about faith. The surprising highlight of the party was discovering the God Box.
My Facebook pal shared that she writes down whatever is troubling her. She places the paper detailing her issue inside a beautiful, fabric-encased box she received as a gift. By doing so, she hands the problem over to God. Once she closes the lid, the problem is out of her hands and removed from her must-worry-about list.
We squealed with delight, vowing to copy the idea and perhaps buy some God Boxes as Christmas gifts for our loved ones. Giving God Boxes are thoughtful gifts easy on the cash flow during this punch-drunk economy.
Learning about the God Box and connecting with women who were refreshingly real about their lives left me feeling reflective, inspired and truly festive long after the party ended.
