ITS OVER WHEN THE BOSS SPEAKS...

[Judi Richardson]

Brendan — your words that the facilitator closes out the "formal open
space process" resonate with me.  My intention in holding space is to
avoid filling in or closing that space.  The content belongs to the
participants and sponsors.  As we know, even when a "boss"  attempts to
take participants back to a pre-existing space in the closing circle —
it is too late.  Often if I'm sitting in the closing circle with a
"plan" for the closing, someone in the circle offers a gem that needs to
be left....  A great example of this happened last Friday in the
Becoming a Peacemake OS in Fairbanks, Alaska — yes Julie's OS!!!  At
the closing circle I was watching and listening as the microphone made
its way around the concentric circles back to me.  When it found me, I
offered it to the center again as it missed a few of the sponsors who
wanted to speak.  Terry had stretched herself (quite bravely) to support
this event and wanted to ask a young woman to expand on her comment
about experiencing peace at home on Friday morning after participating
in Thursday's first day of the event.  Rosalee — a high school
student, in the morning announcements on Friday (day two), stood up and
said that she appreciated the opportunity to be at the event as that
morning she experienced more peace in her home than had been there in a
very long time.  As Terry asked her to expand on that in the closing
circle, as the last person to speak before the microphone came back to
me she took the microphone, walked into the circle and shared that at
home for many months she had been experiencing the power struggles that
teens so often experience with parents.  After the conversations of the
first day of the event, she decided to make a change.  On the morning of
day two, as she was sitting at the kitchen table and her Mom was at the
kitchen counter, Rosalee said, Mom — do you know that I love you?  Her
Mom thought and replied, yeah.... I sometimes forget, but I know and I
love you too.

And after that............... what could possibly be left for me, as
the facilitator, to say in closing an OS event on becoming a
peacemaker????

Judi

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