sacred space

I was meeting with a co-worker recently- he recommended that we meet at a coffee shop- I had never been to this one- and it was kind of out of the way. 

when I got there, he said, "thanks for meeting me here- I know its a little out of the way, but its such a special place for me and I wanted to share it with you. its sort of my sacred space."

he went on to tell me some of the memories that he has had there; he told me how he likes to read and think there; and to look out the windows out onto the amazing view that you can see from there. 

and I felt really honored that he would share this place with me- and I did my best to help create a new memory there and to be in the moment that had been created.

and it made me think- "do I have spaces like this?"
what about you? 
have you ever shared a space with someone? 
I know that I have- it almost feels liek you're letting them see some art that you created, or read your journal- you're putting yourself out there a bit-

here are some spaces that are sacred to me that I have shared with others:

1. malibu grill
if you know me then you know that this is a no brainer. I have often said, "if we haven't been to malibu grill together, then we probably aren't friends." harsh, but mostly true. 
this is one of my favorite places to go to really take a friendship to the next level. its a place where I feel comfortable. when I go, I introduce my friend to the workers, and recommend a meal. I share the many memories I have made there. I talk about my friend Ed who first introduced me to the grill. I always talk about the time that the place burned down and they BBQ-ed at my church so they could fulfill a catering job. I never regret the decision to share that space with a friend.

2. the great bear
this is one of my favorite places to meet and old friend or a new one. I love to share the famous CCC coffee and chocolate milkshake with them. I love to look out on downtown los gatos and talk about deep things with them. when you share a space with a friend, you hope they will like it, and everyone always does.

3. the los gatos creek trail
my tail is the 2 or 3 mile stretch between downtown los gatos and vasona lake. this is my cathedral. this is my outdoor temple. If you added up the miles I have walked on this trail it would be in the thousands. if you added up the time I have spent praying there, it would be measured in days, not hours. this is where I go to learn and quote bible verses, to have a serious phone call, and to get perspective on the things that I'm anxious about.

I share this place with others- but only sometimes. its a long walk, and it takes the right person to appreciate how special that place is.  

I have a lot of other places that are special to me: my church in modesto, cannery row, pinecrest lake, hume lake, santa cruz, disneyland- but these are my sacred spaces that I love to share with a friend.

what space is special to you? share them with a friend and let them into your mind and heart.

God is love.
-rev-rob