Cosmic Reality

It’s Friday night; Cosmic Pizza in Eugene is jam-packed with people. The room is filled with an eclectic group from many different walks of life.

Oregon Supported Living Program is the reason people are here. It’s a fundraiser that includes artwork and a series of concerts in support of an organization that cares for people in our community who have disabilities.

The audience is a mix of people. One of the first things you notice is the disproportionate number of wheelchairs in the room.

Each of us in the room has a couple of things in common. I won’t mention the obvious but will focus on one. Most in this room whether it is those with disabilities, the caregivers or the friends and family tend to understand they don’t “fit in” to the outside culture. Also, most in this room gave up, a long time ago, trying to convince the outside world that they’re okay.

As Kathy and I enter the room the smiles and hugs quickly follow. We feel at home in this world we knew little about a few years ago. We grab a beer and Kathy heads for the other side of the room to see her brother Chip Diehm, who lives in one of the OSLP group homes.

Kathy serves on the OSLP board and I do some work for the organization but we felt no obligation to be at the fundraiser. We honestly wanted to be there. There is a difference you know. I used to spend a lot of time at events I felt obligated to attend. I don’t feel that about anything anymore. There’s a freedom in walking with God that says I don’t have to “go to” to “walk with” Him.

As I stood there looking around, at my friends, I thought how the outside world would judge us as misfits. The room is filled with folks who truly care about others but not about what people think of their piercing or tattoo’s, hair length or clothing, it’s as real as it gets and we love it.

As I stood back and watched my wife sitting with her brother and his friends I found my eyes leaking a bit. This is the life we’ve been longing to be a part of. This is a culture, within a culture, that has great value because it shows the outside world what true acceptance and love is all about.

At one point I leaned over to Kathy and said:  “If the rest of the world could experience this perhaps they’d understand.” Then, I thought to myself, but perhaps the rest of the world can’t understand this and moments like these are reserved for those willing to step into the “Cosmic Reality”.