Soul Sisters, Come on to My House

It was a cold February, Presidents’ Weekend 2008, in the Sierra Nevada foothills, and the snow had not yet melted on the frozen ground when I invited several women to come to my house and hear about my plan to write a book that would include them. To my surprise, all of them showed up except for one who lived in Portland, Oregon; she could not make it but was very interested in what I had to say. As each woman came into my house, they all sat around my dining room table eager to hear the news. I had plans to write a book about cultural sensitivity and taking people from the state of cultural awareness to cultural sensitivity. I had been retired from work about two years, but prior to my retirement, I had been working at a corporate level with cultural diversity in my service area and in the regional offices. I knew that most organizations were struggling with the transition from cultural awareness to cultural sensitivity. The main goal was to have employees treat each other with dignity and respect in the workplace. My reason to have the women “come on to my house” was to inform them of my plan to write a book about cultural sensitivity. But most importantly I wanted to use their life stories to help accomplish this task. I had thought long and hard about who would be the perfect women to have participate in making this dream a reality. My intention was to change a mind-set from feelings of indifference to opportunities getting to know others through understanding, acceptance, and kindness. If I could accomplish this goal within the workforce, this would be my great reward. How did I select these very important women to be my soul sisters? I started off with who had made an impact in my life, who had contributed to my life, and who I had a drive or desire to learn more about. To my surprise, each woman agreed to the book project. They seemed eager and willing to contribute by sharing their life stories with me. Over the next two years, we went to each other’s houses and held meetings on how to go about writing their life stories. During these times, what happened for me was more than I could have ever imagined. The book evolved into more than I had ever thought it could become because from the process of writing the book, I learned understanding and listening with compassion; I got to know these women on a much deeper level. Going through the process brought me so much, which in turn became another gift. I came to understand that the purpose of the book was much more than having a book written for the workplace to help others treat each other with respect, even though it did become that—and more. For me, the book Soul Sisters, Come on to My House is also a book about human kindness and spirituality. It was through the writing process that I discovered the real meaning of writing Soul Sisters, Come on to My House. Each one of my soul sisters went through some very tough times and often spent years in despair and hardship. Yet they were able to lift themselves up through all the adversity to become very special and successful women in their own right. The best part is they did not let the hardships destroy them or keep them down. They were able to surpass any hardship and become their own person. As you read each life story, you will see that the individuals who entered their lives and caused such pain to them were not able to damage their spirit. Today, at work or in their personal lives, they have learned the values and rewards of treating all with respect and dignity. I hope you will discover as you read this book the real meaning of life and how to apply it to your everyday life. It is about treating others not only with dignity and respect, but listening to understand, learning compassion, and sharing human kindness. It can also be about forgiveness and how we find the forgiveness when others treat us bad or hurt us. It is my hope this book will diminish the mystery of fearing others who are different than ourselves. Life has many new starts and new beginnings. I know in my heart and my head that this book will serve a greater purpose and goal about how we should treat each other every day, and that is with compassionate listening and human kindness.