I Have a Dream for This Team

I have a dream . . .  for this team.

I have a dream that this team will soar like an eagle this weekend. That the connections between us will work. That respectful and supportive listening will happen.

I have a dream for this team that our listening to one another will require no approval or disapproval. That our listening will neither expect nor require a yes or no, or a right or wrong. 

I have a dream that this team's presence with one another will be full of available eyes, non-anxious staying, and no-agenda listening. That no one will feel the need to fix, or do, or help, but that the "do" of this weekend is to hear and connect.

I have a dream that this team will soar like an eagle this weekend because its connections will soar above the pressures to give or receive questions, judgments, prompts, or advice. That the drive for connection will supercede any need to interrupt or monopolize. 

I have a dream that quick solutions and ready answers will stay in storage. That we will sit for awhile with unsolved stories, embrace hard questions, and ponder another’s puzzles. That we will know ourselves to be a body, all changed by the challenges of each.

I have a dream for this team that time will work in our favor. That the time it takes to listen will be cherished and not resented. That the silent times will be abundant and welcome. That those who often don't speak for lack of time or opportunity will find enough silent spaces to be unshackled. 

I have a dream for this team that our language will open a hospitable door to speaking in first person, saying "I" and "me." That this team will be too big and soar too high to allow blame or gossip. That it will be too smart to participate in indirect talk, polarizing, or triangling. That this team will bond together to protect the honesty and responsibility expressed in saying "I."

I have a dream that this team will soar like an eagle this weekend. That the connections between us will work. That the Holy Spirit will be the wind beneath our wings, flowing between our feathers, lifting every part.

I have a dream for this team.