Sacred Stories that Transform

I came across this brief blog post and it really touched me, and wanted to share it:

I have a little bag of pebbles. They’re so attractive that I use them as visual aids for retreats and workshops. One day during a retreat in Ireland, I spread out the stones on a table. To my delight, one morning I find two of the participants poring over them, handling them as if they were diamonds, and marveling to one another. When I express my surprise, they explain that they have been missionaries in Zimbabwe, and that many of these pebbles come from that part of the world. They tell me how they used to collect them from ancient riverbeds. They know every one of them by name and can tell me all about it.

Just a bag of pebbles to me. But to them, each one has a name and a story. Just like people. We see the anonymous crowds, but they are made up of unique individuals, beloved and beautiful, each carrying a sacred story. —Excerpted from Compass Points by Margaret Silf (http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/dotmagis-blog/)

Whether I am evaluating a client for the purposes of coaching a newly promoted executive, an immigration evaluation, or even the dynamic between a vice-president and her directors, I can't help but feel honored to be such an observer, and involved in their process. Each instance is a sacred story that also has a way of finding a path into my own psyche. It is from there that I connect, am challenged, and grow. Sacred stories are transformative and deeply healing for all involved...