Okay here it goes. An introduction to the Men I was fortunate to meet at the MROP. It was like many retreats, plenty of discomfort and nervousness. Some were guarded and others were unsure. I falling in the middle of all skepticism. Then there was a pleasant gift from within. One man's courage and loosening became the stepping stool for the next. Each emotion and experience shared solidified a bond that can only be expressed with a smile. Each man provided a unique characteristic for reasoning life's disappointments, miseries, and struggles. That is how we started, in a process of dying together. Like the Lord promises, with faith dying only leads to the gift of living and that is the path our group of men took. We all faced our fears and shared our shortcomings; We all died with each other. It was the ground breaking for a brotherhood.
We eventually were able to look at each other with a different pair of eyes. We had compassion for each other. We held each others pain. More importantly we had men who were listeners. No one provided any answers just concern and patience. The brotherhood and trust was established. For me, I could trust men. They were no longer the competition but the team. Praise God!
We have learned each others inner most pains. We have shared things no one else may ever hear. And because of the healing that occurred these memories and struggles may never have to be held again. Trust was just the beginning, because once the laughter and the joy entered our circle we found acceptance. We were well on our way to understanding what love is supposed mean.