This month Tom and Abbie are organising our gatherings. We're exploring vulnerability.
The final 'February' meeting is 1st March (hey, it's nearly Feb) which will be our big Sunday. We're meeting up at the Cherwell Centre, starting with a shared lunch at 12:30.
So far this cycle...
Soup n Soul: We considered a picture and a passage from a researcher who turned her life around when she realised that she'd not been living as she could because of the subtle and powerful effects of not letting your guard down.
"Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.We cultivate love when we allow our most vulnerable and powerful selves to be deeply seen and known, and when we honor the spiritual connection that grows from that offering with trust, respect, kindness and affection.
Love is not something we give or get; it is something that we nurture and grow, a connection that can only be cultivated between two people when it exists within each one of them – we can only love others as much as we love ourselves.
Shame, blame, disrespect, betrayal, and the withholding of affection damage the roots from which love grows. Love can only survive these injuries if they are acknowledged, healed and rare."
