The Company of Women

Is there anything better than gathering a group of gifted, spiritual women for conversation?

These past 6 weeks of Lent, a group from around the country has journeyed with me online.  We have shared the desert passages in our lives, and encouraged one another to set down old baggage.  We have discovered the eager young girls that still live within us in their wholeness and expectancy.  We listened to those spaces in our hearts that are quietly calling to us to open.

We brought our cups of tea, our colored pencils, and our journals.  I offered a few thoughts, read beloved poems, then together we did a reflective exercise.

As is always the case, when I find myself in the company of women who are seeking to live meaningful lives, willing to risk spiritual growth, I hear the wisdom that I need for my own journey.

It is good to set time apart from everything else that rushes in to use our gifts and strengths.  It asks that we give ourselves the gift of an hour or two – every day or every week.  It encourages us to choose friends who respect where we find ourselves, and are willing to walk with us in a spirit of generous and genuine support.

It means being honest and real.

Our final day, we each made an altar to honor the journeys we are on.  I share a couple of these.  The top altar is from a gifted artist and social activist who is happy to share anonymously.  The altar below is by a photographer and creative, Katherine.

As we move into Easter, I am mindful that Scripture teaches that it was the women who discovered the empty tomb, women who conversed with the mysterious angel, women who first perceived the entirely new reality of which Easter is our core narrative.

Women help one another find the empty places within, ease the hard work of becoming new, sustain one another on the journey.  I am always grateful for women’s stories, their wisdom, and their willingness to take the risk to be transformed.

It is a blessing to travel together, witness together, and to give voice to the new creative visions that appear on the journey.

If you have your own “resurrection” story of women’s friendship, please share it with us!  The Comments section is below.  Happy traveling.

Easter Blessings!