We recently passed the fifteen-year anniversary of our assembly here at The Conservative Treehouse. Fifteen years of a conversation that continues; a conversation that questions; a journey upon the road less travelled. This odd little band of misfits, carrying on a conversation in the corner of a vast internet where pretenses drop and ordinary labels used to retain comfortability just don’t seem to stick.

Factually and embarrassingly, amid the whirlwind of sand through life’s hourglass I would not have noticed the date if site admin Wee-Weed didn’t draw attention to it, and I thank her for creating the pause.

Ad Rem, Stella, Menagerie and Wee-Weed are incredible moderators, always finding a way to guide the ship through fog, with a gentle nudge when needed. As a community we are blessed and thankful for their stewardship.

Two website platforms. 15 years. 48,349 articles. 5,128,351 voices in the comments.  Visits from every country on the globe. These are the simple statistics of our assembly, yet the value of the conversation cannot be quantified. A loving God has a voice here. We listen. We are all vessels.

There are a lot of different things that can be said when anniversaries are celebrated; however, for our assembly my thoughts are about God and you. All of you, the commonality of you, us, all of us together in this discussion – no pretenses. The journey is the discussion, and the conversation is the point.

You see things differently than most. If you did not, you would not be here. You accept things as they are, not as the crowd would pretend them to be. If you did not, you would not be here. You see the deeper stuff and together we understand that perspective can lead to isolation when the truth cuts against the popularity of the thing.  If it didn’t, you would not be here.

You value the truth in all its discomfort, and you have developed a keen perception that leads to articulate questions. If you did not you would not be here. You see the dots and yet you retain a perspective distance, permitting you to see the full picture instead of an image of random pixels. If you did not carry this inherent skill, you would not have found your way here.

You are almost certainly curious, inquisitive and instinctual. You also perceive more because you allow yourself to perceive more, and that is an incredible strength when you consider the luring comfort of the crowd you passed by on your way here.

Your instincts, your senses, your discernment is honed because these things are derived from our journey beside God. Ultimately, it is He who sharpens the saw of discernment while fueling the sense to remain stable while peering into the fury.

You travel with a mindset guided by natural laws and your willingness to accept being connected to something much larger than self.  Yet our insignificance does not diminish our merit or worth because we know the equity of His grace.

We all hold value. We are all loved beyond our imagining. We are never alone.

You are an exceptionally intelligent person, carrying great wisdom and value. Your voice, your articulation, your sense and knowledge of the topic is profoundly unique, deep and abundantly evident when you are in a gathering.

Thank you for being here; for being you; for making this journey -this conversation- better, because you choose discovery over complacency.

I cherish our assembly and remain steadfast on the journey.

With abiding love and appreciation,

~ Sundance

Posted in Celebrations, Treehouse Campfire, Uncategorized
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