“When people begin to talk about their story, assume it, and reflect on it, [they] find meaning and significance in what they have lived through….This is what allows us to go forward in life.”

~ Martha Cabrera, Living and Surviving in a Multiply-wounded Country

This is just one movement in the cycle of healing from trauma and building resilience. It is how we begin the process of making meaning. It is a series of fluid movements that include spaces and practices that help us mourn and grieve, name fears, learn how to accept losses, memorialize what we must (through rituals, ceremonies, and artifacts), reflect together on any root causes of the trauma (traumatic events, various systems of violence, historical harms, injustices, etc), and acknowledging the multiple stories present in our community. Some will understand and embrace these movements, some will not. But it is important to press on and create space for these movements to unfold within each community.

This is something I’ve been able to experience with WCC the past ten years. It has been life-giving and shaped who we are, even in all the tension it has sometimes created. It is a messy and bumpy process, but one I believe the Spirit wants to guide. I think it is critical if we are to become a community where hospitality and compassion is present and human flourishing possible.

More on this later.