The Slow Conversation

          My friend, Dave,writes to me about once a month.

          A little overa year ago he wrote to tell me he was in the process of picking out a book forme, one I could read and talk with him about. He was asking me to choose which of two or three books I mightenjoy.  I wrote back to tell him that Ididn’t need another book, but what I would really love to have is a letter,once a month.  Dave’s a letter writer andso he jumped at it.

          He’s up to#14 as of today.  David is also a mathematicianand, so, he likes numbers.  He can tellyou his height in meters, still tutors in calculus, even though he is over 80and solves problems for fun.  He and Iboth enjoy the subtle patterns of Sudoku. Dave and I have this slow conversation.

          Actually, Ihave a slow conversation with a few folks. This past Christmas season included the regular sharing of Christmaslists with the rest of the family.  Ithought about what I really wanted… again and this was my list lastyear.  The “you” was whomever decided topick that particular gift.

A poem written by youA picture of something that inspires you and the reason whyA dedicated time for a half-hour conversation once a month with youA meal together – just you and me (you pay 😊) – within this coming yearA game night with me and as many people as you want to inviteA picture-scavenger hunt you design for me and a group you inviteA piece of artwork you create and what it means to youA recipe you think I should make and the ingredients to make itA hand-written letter of any length once a month from youA trip to a museum of your choice (you and me)A story you tell me that takes at least 20 minutes and includes at least 3 characters

I got an incredibly GREAT set of gifts.  One of them included a promise of letters from our youngest daughter and, along with thoughts about life, there is a story that we’re making up a little at a time, each taking turns adding the next part.  A number of the other assorted things I received sit atop my desk and I’ve pulled them out to enjoy them again and again.

Occasionally, I begin a slow conversation on my own and see how slow it gets.  If I do it by email, it tends to pick up speed and if I do it by text, it can get even faster, but then it is also more concise.  The slower the conversation, the more of life gets included.  And that’s what I really want… more of life. Maybe that’s part of what Jesus meant by abundant life and why he hung out with us… to converse.

Blessings (they’re all around us),Geoff