We talked to Zouhair's mother Habiba this morning. Our trip is still five months away and she's already talking about the menu for our visit -- couscous, tajines, chebbakia, pot after pot of Morocco's famous mint tea. She loves to entertain and take care of people (a trait that seems to be embedded in the genetic code of all Moroccan moms), and she's especially looking forward to sharing her home with my mom (Diane) and her extended family of InterPlayers. When she visited us in Nashville last summer she and my mom really bonded, which is remarkable considering neither of them knows a single word in the other's language. My mom invited her to do InterPlay with the local group and she loved it, at least in part because it was a fun, easy way to connect without relying too much on words. Here's a picture of our moms together.
It occurs to me that each them is "mothering" the vision for the trip in her own way. My mom is busy, as usual, using her address book and mighty powers of persuasion to erase the six degrees of separation that supposedly exist between every person on earth. (From a recent conversation with her: "You really don't think fifty is a manageable number of people for this trip?") Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, Habiba is probably already rearranging the furniture.
Folks, prepare yourselves. I have a feeling that a great flood of maternal instinct is about to be loosed upon us. :-)
Folks, prepare yourselves. I have a feeling that a great flood of maternal instinct is about to be loosed upon us. :-)
2 comments:
I had a moment this morning of realizing how easy, even effortless, very big events (like this trip to morocco!) can be when there is deep alignment of purpose, intention and a spirit of co-creation. From the first trip I made there when Sara was 19 and a student, and i was busily doing peace work and community organizing here, I saw how important it might be to have more people in our country understand Muslim cultures. Now that our family has expanded with her marriage to Zouhair there in his country, and with the births here, next door, of my grandchildren--three bright little bi-cultural spirits, I have a VERY strong interest in and see clearly the necessity of healing the splits and finding the threads of promise and peace that will shape their lives.
Somehow I always knew that these family ties we've been building across the vast differences don't seem so complicated when I look into the eyes of my grandchildren, and I know that grandmothers everywhere want the same things for their grandchildren--- health, security, education, the opportunity to grow up and find happiness and purposeful lives.
The bond between me and Habiba (which means "beloved" in Arabic) is made of very strong stuff-- stronger than language, and culture, and religion... Our desire for these babies to grow up well unites us and as Sara noted-- it forms a bridge of radical hospitality and trust between our hearts. This summer without even knowing a word of the same language we made collages together, cooked together, shopped together (she was wide-eyed in the inside of the Kroger here!), chanted and danced and ate Italian food together, and spent whole days playing together with the grandbabies we have in common.
Every baby's birth is a miracle and the survival of our species on this planet may well depend on deepening our reverence for life. To travel together in that spirit-- of respect, curiosity, wonder and appreciation will open doors and hearts for us, and create bridges of understanding and even friendship with our hosts in Morocco.
So I'm learning the truth of the 70's adage-- the "personal is political" with the journey to Malawi with Masankho last summer to his home village, and to various global exchanges I've participated in through grassroots organizing, and the experiences of bringing together little "rainbow coalitions" regularly through InterPlay. It seems to me that love, peace, generosity, healing and joy are born when people can come together and share stories, song, dance, food and kinship with each other across the lines that separate us.
What could be easier and more satisfying, and make more real PEACE in the world than this? I am glad to be traveling with so many wise, creative, and talented people-- (more on this in another post!) and I'm sure we will create an experience together that will touch our collective hearts, and ripple far out into the world.
Much love, Diane Saliba Ault (aka Diana Morningstar *smile*)
Diane, I would love to be with you for such an exciting and pleasurable trip. But I'm already committed to 2 other trips in June, and there's no time. You are such a happy, delightful person, it is always a joy to be with you. I hope that you will share some of your Moroccan experiences with me later. Love, Mary Compton mcspirit@centurytel.net
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