Maybe we picked up “Bo’s Café”, hoping for a good story, a nice vacation read. We soon realize we can’t put it down, but aren’t sure why. We’re gripped by the drama and yet, at points, we’re laughing out loud. Then we start seeing ourselves in one or more of the characters. We see friends and those we long to care for but don’t know how. Gradually, almost imperceptibly, it now becomes a book of wisdom, for a way of life I had almost stopped believing was possible. Now, we’re underlining entire paragraphs. About two-thirds of the way through, the story actually begins to frighten us…because we’re not sure Steven will ever get this way of life he’s being offered. He’s been ruining his life and the lives of those around him. And what if he never gets it? Will we? Can we? Anxiousness then gives way to playful delight and great hope. We are crying, then laughing, then smiling as we begin to find resolution to pain we’ve been carrying for decades. We are deeply sad when the story finishes. We want it to go on and on, until our lives look like those of Carlos, Cynthia, Andy, Lindsey, Steven, Hank and Bo.

It all undoes us…then leaves us longing and desperate to form such a community for ourselves and those we love. It captivates our souls. We read it again…Then we start making phone calls. Next thing we know we’re sitting on the deck of our own Bo’s Café, with a group of friends, writing our own story together…