A small group gathered for...
Illustration
Object:
A small group gathered for their first meeting. As a way of introduction, they began talking about themselves, sharing childhood memories and feelings about their lives as adults. Later, they realized that they were not being totally honest. It's hard sharing with people you do not know well.
As they shared together, Julie interrupted. She told the others that her childhood memories were not always positive. She spoke of her struggle with her mother and of her father who left one day when she was four and never came back.
"But I do remember one Christmas when my younger sister and I were little girls." She said that she and her sister did not expect much that Christmas. On Christmas Eve, the two girls came home late. It was cold and had just gotten dark. The front door to their home was locked, so the girls had to climb through a window from the porch. As Julie entered the house, she noticed in the corner of the living room a Christmas tree with only a few lights on it. In the soft glow of those lights, she saw two dolls covered with a pink blanket. The girls wondered where their mother had found money to buy presents.
In an almost childlike voice, Julie told the group, "That was the happiest moment in my life." Others in the group sat in stunned silence. This woman had given the group a gift. Soon the others in the group began opening up and sharing in a more meaningful way.
As they shared together, Julie interrupted. She told the others that her childhood memories were not always positive. She spoke of her struggle with her mother and of her father who left one day when she was four and never came back.
"But I do remember one Christmas when my younger sister and I were little girls." She said that she and her sister did not expect much that Christmas. On Christmas Eve, the two girls came home late. It was cold and had just gotten dark. The front door to their home was locked, so the girls had to climb through a window from the porch. As Julie entered the house, she noticed in the corner of the living room a Christmas tree with only a few lights on it. In the soft glow of those lights, she saw two dolls covered with a pink blanket. The girls wondered where their mother had found money to buy presents.
In an almost childlike voice, Julie told the group, "That was the happiest moment in my life." Others in the group sat in stunned silence. This woman had given the group a gift. Soon the others in the group began opening up and sharing in a more meaningful way.
