<html>
<head>
<meta content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"
http-equiv="Content-Type">
</head>
<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">Dear Suzanne,<br>
<br>
Thanks so much for this heartfelt report. Being privileged to be
on the Open Space Institute board - I heard a much more
comprehensive report just some hours ago now - and I felt
powerfully the impact of having such a diverse group of people and
watching stereotypes and preconceptions morph and transmute just
by opening space and letting it happen.<br>
<br>
If any of you get the chance - it's well worth it hearing the
impact and the details from Suzanne in person. Or ask Chuni or
Karen as well, as they're both on the OSI-US board and I heard
verbal reports from both of them. The event sounded truly
profound. But - what else is new with Open Space!<br>
<br>
Cheers,<br>
Harold<br>
<br>
On 1/21/13 6:43 PM, Suzanne Daigle wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote
cite="mid:CAJh+fLDUObJ-h-KCfKr+x=bDKG6t0A-5mQCTNTsKS6hAuD9vOA@mail.gmail.com"
type="cite">
<p class=""><span style="">An International Open Space in New York
City with Harrison Owen and Karen Davis (Ralph Copeland there
in spirit)<br>
<br>
Sitting on a plane, I
am reliving the experience, the sounds, the feel and the
memory of an amazing
Open Space! Three blissful days with 25 to 30 or so
colleagues, friends, and
strangers who became friends.</span></p>
<p class=""><span style="">Climbing the well-worn
steps to this reverential and familiar place on that first
morning, I am
greeted by a simple circle of chairs, a few beautiful
artifacts and a cascading
bouquet of flowers in the middle of the floor with the early
morning sunlight
dancing into the room signaling the beginning of a brand new
day.<span style=""> </span>It feels like I am “coming home!”
The
Practice of Peace is working its magic already. </span></p>
<p class=""><span style="">Memories of WOSonOS
London, another place in another space, soon tumble in and
along with it, the
excitement and nervous energy surrounding the upcoming “World
Open Space on
Open Space” that will be happening in St. Petersburg Florida
from May 16<sup>th</sup>
to May 19<sup>th</sup>, 2013.</span></p>
<p class=""><span style="">Finding the words to
summarize what transpired at International House this past
weekend is as
daunting as creating a work of art, crafting a piece of
literature or writing a
symphony.<span style=""> </span>How can one capture on a
blank canvass, a sheet of paper or a computer screen, the
essence of what
happened there in all its layers and complexities, the stuff
that is “real
life” lived?<span style=""> </span>And yet, it is no
different
than the hundreds of thousands of other times in Open Space
when diverse people
in different parts of the world came together to share, learn,
explore,
discover and engage on something that they are “passionate”
about and want to
“take responsibility” for.</span></p>
<p class=""><span style=""><b style="">Learning about Open Space
by experiencing Open Space </b>was the
invitation giving a chance to many to try their hand at
“opening the space”, “evening
news” , “morning news” and “closing circle”. <span style=""> </span>And
I know you would all have been as inspired
as I watching people take to their roles like fish to water.
Another indication
that facilitating Open Space is something that can easily be
learned though its
practice is a lifelong journey. </span></p>
<p class=""><span style=""><b style="">Our THEME:</b></span></p>
<h3><span style=""><b style=""><span style="font-size:20pt">Opening
Space for Peace and
High Performance:</span></b></span></h3>
<h3><span
style="margin-left:68px;margin-top:16px;width:4px;height:4px"></span><span
style=""><b style=""><span style="font-size:16pt"><span
style=""></span></span></b></span><span style=""><span
style="font-size:16pt">Self-organizing<b style=""> </b>for
Myself, Others and our Planet</span></span></h3>
<p class=""><span style=""> </span></p>
<p class=""><span style="">People came from
Pittsburg, from Cleveland, from Canada, from Arizona, from
Chile, from Oregon,
from Maryland, New Jersey and New York City. They came from
Newtown
Connecticut, from Occupy Wall Street, from business, from
education, from
privilege and less wealth, from community organizing and
community service,
pastors, engineers, education, finance, activists, theatre,
media, consultants,
students and retirees. Different backgrounds and ages, small
towns, big cities
and worldwide travelers, diverse in ways that were visible and
less visible
which invited the extreme spectrums of jarring and
heartwarming conversations,
lots of reflection, human beings finding each other and
connecting when we
least expected it while living this mix of harmony, confusion,
chaos and
clarity that is the stuff of real life – the self-organizing
and wave riding
that Harrison speaks and writes about. How ironic that we
spend so much of our
life “organizing self-organizing”. </span></p>
<p class=""><span style="">Yes we were all on a
mission to make the world we live in a better place.<span
style=""> </span>And in that shared mission, time stood
still in
a way that made it expand.<span style=""> </span>A spirit of
hope,
love, purpose and gratitude connected us deeply in closing
circle on the third
day. Nothing new really… it happens every time when we open
some space in our
lives, when we take the time to breathe a bit and to notice
and appreciate who
we are and what we have.<span style=""> </span>And when that
happens whether in community, in the workplace, with friends
and/or family,
something indescribable happens. It happened in New York City
at International
House between January 18<sup>th</sup> and January 20<sup>th</sup>.<span
style=""> </span></span></p>
<p class=""><span style="">Thank you Karen, thank
you Harrison and thank everyone for these wonderful three
days! </span></p>
<p class="" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style=""><b
style="">On a
personal note…</b></span></p>
<p class="" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="">A short
follow-up to something I wrote this past
December, while in the hospital in Maine with my mom. <span
style=""> </span>Two years ago, I was in this same place at
International House, having lost my dad a month earlier.
There, I found peace
and healing as I grieved his passing, feeling very connected
to him then because
dad shared a birthdate with Harrison, loved martinis and
admired his book: <u>Open
Space Technology, A User’s Guide</u></span></p>
<p class=""><span style="">On January 1<sup>st</sup>
2013, my mom passed away.<span style=""> </span>I had a deep
longing to return to New York again. <span style=""> </span>It
was
even more peaceful this time and I was again deeply soothed.
And then
something else happened on Sunday night and Monday morning
when I visited Chuni
Li’s family – Chuni, from Taiwan now living in New Jersey who
I had met in New
York at this event 2 years ago.<span style=""> </span>I was
greeted by Chuni’s mom and mother-in-law with bountiful hugs
and comfort food,
lovingly prepared.<span style=""> </span>And then, as if
this
was not enough, her dad wrote us a poem in Chinese, beautiful
words and
calligraphy on special paper – something I could take home
with me that spoke
of this Open Space event at International House and how
special he knew it had
been for the two of us, Harrison and others. The tears flowed
then feeling the
warm embrace of my extended family, the Li family.</span></p>
<p class=""><span style="">This NEVER would have
happened without Open Space in my life, a technology I was
drawn to initially
to do good in the workplace, which invited me to so much more.<span
style=""> </span>It invited me to my life and living it
fully
as if “coming home” to who I am at the core. <span style=""> </span></span></p>
<p class=""><span style="">Now as we prepare our
welcome to Florida for all of you, I know the spirit of New
York, of London2012,
of Chile2011, Berlin2010 and Taiwan2009 will weave themselves
into the magical
surprise of what will happen at WOSonOS2013 in St. Petersburg.
</span></p>
<p class=""><span style=""><span style=""> </span>Thank you for
your patience these past few
months as you await information to make your plans for
Florida. I promise that
we will soon be sending you the detailed information you need
to book your
tickets to be with us at WOSonOS 2013. <span style=""> </span></span></p>
<p class=""><span style="">Suzanne now back in
Florida</span></p>
</blockquote>
<br>
<br>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
Harold Shinsato<br>
<a href="mailto:harold@shinsato.com">harold@shinsato.com</a><br>
<a href="http://shinsato.com">http://shinsato.com</a><br>
twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/hajush">@hajush</a></div>
</body>
</html>