THE POWER OF TAKING TEA: SISTERS BROUGHT TOGETHER THROUGH THE BRIDGE OF PEACE REUNITE

Sisters brought together by the Bridge of Peace Ceremony held in Oakland on May 19th, reunited on July 28th. At the beautiful home of Victoria Maeda, a Tea Party was held. Victoria and her ”sister”, Sachiko Sato, hosted the party with the desire to create an opportunity for the sister pairs to get together. They created a beautiful and fun atmosphere with elegant teacups, delicious sandwiches and cake and, of course, tea. There is a long tradition of taking tea together around the world. It is a time for connecting, sharing and healing, allowing peace and friendship into our lives.

At the original Bridge of Peace Ceremony, President Selle emphasized the importance of uplifting, collaborating and transforming. “She spoke about how we all have so much pain in our hearts, but we also have the creativity to overcome the pain. The real work is changing ourselves because we cannot change anyone else. We have to forgive even the unforgivable. The purpose of the Bridge of Peace is to break the cycle of hate, hurt, and pain. If we don’t do it no one else will.” And she issued a call to action, no longer to just talk about peace and forgiveness but to act in concrete ways to bring it about. All the “sister” pairs who crossed the Bridge of Peace together were called upon to do something together to promote peace and healing. What better way than taking tea?

The main topic of the day was healing and people shared about different methods of healing that they experienced or heard about. Pat Fleischman gave a report about the African Diaspora Leadership Conference she attended in Las Vegas, which was focused on healing historical wounds. Natural and lively sharing followed. It was a very relaxing, fun and informative afternoon. Truly it is in the small moments, of sharing in our everyday activities, where lifelong connections are forged and healing can begin.