gathering of the tribe

i have no pictures of fish being tossed in the air at the pike place market. i also have no breathtaking sunset shots on mt. raineer. i cant even show you pictures of the u-distrist, my old stomping ground. my time in Seattle had one purpose: gathering the tribe.

what do i mean when i say tribe? my spiritual mom starting using the word to help describe a deeper than usual connection we find with others because of a strong shared passion or passions. you might say, people with whom we seem to share a similar D.N.A. in primitive times i dont think many people longed for their tribe, you were simply born into it. your family had a certain talent or function which your name likely reflected. it distinguished you amongst other tribes. today, it seems that many desire that kind of community, but are uncertain as to how it is found or devloped.

having layed a little groundwork, let me introduce you to my Seattle tribe: amongst us is

a lawyer, a cook, a musician, a professor,a horse whisperer, a retired secretary/grandma, a stay at home mama, and a construction manager to name a few. we are men and women from three (wait--now four!) generations. when i first met them, some of us has dreadlocks and some wore dockers (o.k. i was the only one with dreadies, but you get the point....a very diverse group!) what could possibly draw such an eclectic group together? for us it was one purpose: a passion to know god intimately.

gathering with these dear ones has been one of the greatest privledges of my life. over the years we have broken bread together, grieved loses, celebrated births, laughed, supported eachother through crisis,taken huge risks, and had fun, lots of fun together. in all of these different facets of life we were drawn back to the common goal of knowing god and his ways. it is who we are. life only makes sense to my tribe through this lense. i still remember significant, life changing prayers prayed for me through these friends fifteen years later. thats a good prayer!

this tribal thing is a big deal. i cant seem to get away from it. i often want to know if others have found their tribes, and if so what the process of discovery looked like. i have sat down several times now to write about this and struggled with what to share,what not to share, how to condense it. if it inspires something in you, good! please comment or send me an email and we can continue the dialoge.

written by

firebynite on November 10, 2010 from Seattle, United States

from the travel blog: super vegi-matic bus travels

tagged Seattle and Tribe

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brilliant tiff! well said! so glad you offered the continuation of dialogue!!! i am in!!!! (haha wink wink!)

written by tam on November 17, 2010

love you!

written by Jessie readmond on November 17, 2010

Thanks for sharing your heart Tiffany. I am one who does long to find her tribe. A work in progess.

written by Sue Roth on November 17, 2010

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