The Laying of the Hands

  I recently attended the ordination ceremony for Pastor Angela at my church.  The room was jam-packed and the positive energy and love in that sanctuary was palpable.  As always, folks from all walks of life were there.  But on this day, people from various parts of Angela’s life and journey were there to celebrate her.  I liken it to a wedding, when friends and family gather from far and wide and from all stages of your life.  They don’t know each other and it is your life flashing before your eyes. Kinda surreal. 
  I was a blubbery mess!  Not a full-on ugly cry, but I was really moved!  The first thing that made me so emotional was the pureness and the beauty in the fact that Angela has found her true calling in life.  Wow.  And I don’t just mean it in a religious way.  I believe that we are all called.  We are all here for a reason and it’s our challenge to find out what it is.  I mean otherwise what.is.the.point?  Do what you love.  Figure out what makes you YOU.  Witnessing the clarity of that in Angela was a gift in itself.  The joy in it.  The peace in it.  Just breathtaking.
  And the next tear-jerker was that all of these people in this room were there to celebrate just that!  It was a group “Atta girl!” A collective “You go girl!” These people from all parts of Angela’s journey made the time, prioritized the occasion to just come, be there and use their presence to say “It is wonderful that you found your calling and worked hard to fulfill it.  I am here for you and I celebrate you.  You go.”  Part of the ceremony is called the Laying of the Hands where Angela kneels and a group of people put their hands on her shoulders as a visual representation of support.  It was beautiful and awe-inspiring.
  And it made me realize that we do not do this enough in general.  Do we prioritize time to be with our friends to voice that we are happy that they have found their true passions?  Do we “show up” for our friends to ask them what they are up to on that path or tell them that we are proud of them? Would it be a better world if we all did more to support each other’s journeys and celebrate each other’s joy?  In my humble opinion, yes!  And isn’t THAT.the.point?
 

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