The second chair is labeled “friendship”. This is more than an acquaintance; this is about seeing and being seen. This is about giving the one that is discovered in solitude a place to experience the depth of connection.
Joan Chittister in Monasteries of the Heart puts it this way in regards to true community:
“Community is the backdrop against which we do what we do. It give us the underpinning that enables us to go on when we’re tired, to go forward when we’re afraid, to go more deeply into the unmasking of the self when everything inside of us seems to go to stone, goes dry and dull and lethargic. Community building does not just happen; it cannot be taken for granted. It requires both great faith and great trust that is generated by continuing display of great human care that begins with me and then comes back to me.”
Deep relationships with others allow us to practice being vulnerable, real, and to participate in grace, mercy, and deep joy and love. It gives the self discovered in solitude a place to be seen and heard and allows us to be the mirror of Love to others in the same way. The gift of that second chair of community/friendship is the reality of Holy Ground.
This week find someplace where you may truly connect with another person. Let that person know what a gift they are.