“A white woman spit at me,” he said.. my mouth hit the actual ground. I felt like I was just slapped in the face. “What do you mean,” I asked him.. and he repeated. I was mortified by this story. And embarrassed, outraged, saddened, heartbroken all in the matter of .5 seconds it took for him to say those few words.
We sat there after the session – me, Nina [the videographer and photographer behind Woven Storytelling], Isaac and Alyssa. Soft, empathetic voices and tones filled with understanding began to unfold stories and experiences of our lives that literally made my heart feel like a puddle of red. We LISTENED, we spoke as old friends even though this was the first time we had ever met for almost two hours AFTER the session ended!!
Yes, we openly spoke about current topics, religion and a bit of politics.. it was soulfully beautiful. It was what I wish the whole world could experience. The room was combined with a skin kaleidoscope – white women, a beautiful black man and a gorgeous mama from middle eastern Pakistan and we collided in a peaceful conversation about differences and perspectives.
As we were saying goodbye, we gathered in a circle and held hands (well, I squeezed) and we prayed. Together. God created each one of us as we are all His children, coming together like He designed us too. This moment of transparence is what I wish for everyone!!
I thanked Isaac and Alyssa so much for being so open in sharing and being so open to hearing my thoughts and Ninas. They are forever a piece of me and I hold this so tight in my heart.
I am including a picture of all of us at the bottom!
It was an absolute honor on our end to be able to photograph AND record behind the scenes of this session for Woven Storytelling. There will also be an editing video on these images as well! But friends, only students can access this, so be sure to sign up!
Peek at a clip of the Behind Scenes here!
