moments that matter

this last week has been exhausting, exhilarating, fun, emotional, and meaningful.  So many activities and insights, so much to process.  My husband led three adults, including myself, and ten teenagers to New Orleans for a national youth conference.

One of the things that struck me the most this whole week was the sense of connection.  Walking down the streets of New Orleans, greetings of "hey!" sounded again and again. "Where you from?"  "New York, Washington, California."  Kids with otherwise nothing in common came together and formed a sense of community.

There were lots of wonderful speakers and great music and lots of fun activities, but the moments that matter are the ones where people come together and something more arises:  friendship, compassion, kindness, bonds that transcend "where you from" and create "this is where we are now".  And when we all come together, great things can happen.

What a blessing to connect with another human being when we understand that we are not so very different. We can come together for a common purpose; when we all want a kinder world.