philoxenia- our story (part 1)

philoxenia

life?

We have experienced authentic hospitality (philoxenia), the healing power of connecting with God's creation (viriditas--latin), and the enlightening process of engaging the creative Spirit within us (meraki). Philoxenia life is our response to these gifts and an invitation for others to join us in this journey.

Our family loves to travel. We anticipate the adventure months prior — researching the culture, imagining the smells and tastes of the food, craving to explore the natural beauty, our hearts exploding with curiosity knowing we will meet new friends. We have spent time in Iceland, Tanzania, Canada, Jamaica, Antigua, Bahamas, Japan, Scotland, China, Haiti, Guatemala, and most often in Greece — all different experiences. However, one common theme in all of our travels is the amazing hospitality that we have received from strangers.

In the Chinese culture, it is customary to keep guests fully occupied and to provide lavish meals and generous gifts. Success of a host is based on the guests acceptance or participation in the generosity. When we traveled to China, we had the honor of experiencing these customs firsthand. Throughout our trip, we felt like royalty…we were the guests of honor at every meal, we were treated to a smorgasbord of sightseeing activities, and we were even offered a seemingly never ending supply of gifts. It was a very eye opening and humbling experience…much different than the hospitality we typically experience or offer in the US. We experienced a similar, selfless and overly generous approach to hospitality in Haiti and Guatemala. In Haiti, our hosts walked for miles to hand wash our clothing in the river and even woke up at 3 the morning the day of our departure to cook a special breakfast using the last of their chickens. In Guatemala, our son (who was five at the time) got very sick and our hosts went out of their way to take care for our every need — from extensive testing - to medicine - to special arrangements - to calling our doctor in the states. The stories could go on and on, but the consistent theme is that we were not treated as outsiders or strangers, rather we were given first choice of their food, their possessions, and their care…true hospitality (philoxenia).

The word Philoxenia is an ancient Greek word that is roughly translated as “love for a stranger” or “to welcome a stranger into your home with love and respect”. Stephanie’s father is from the Greek island of Ikaria in the Aegean Sea. Therefore, we have had the privilege of visiting the island several times and experiencing Philoxenia first hand. As we described elsewhere, Ikaria is one of 5 identified “Blue Zones”, where people have low rates of chronic disease and live longer than anywhere else. One of the common characteristics of these regions, which is associated with longevity, is a sense of belonging. In Ikaria, belonging is not limited to close friends and family, rather there is a much broader sense of community — including strangers. On any given night, you will find groups of people gathered in the town until the wee hours of the morning sipping coffee or ouzo. Wedding celebrations can still be heard over the mountains after sunrise and include thousands of people. We, as strangers, have been invited to a wedding each time we have visited Ikaria. In the summer there are also wedding-like gatherings (known as a panigiria) celebrated across the island on almost a daily basis. A Panigiri is a traditional feast day to celebrate the Saints’ name day wherein each village offers their best wine, goats, cheese, (Greek) salads and traditional Greek music and dancing in the streets. Their love of celebration, earned the island the nickname…”the island that never sleeps” or more notably “the island where people forget to die”.

Our experience of hospitality and truly and fully being known and cared for, is what led us to create Philoxenia Life. Through our discovery sessions, workshops and retreats, we invite families and communities to slow down, re-engage their inner creative spirit and experience wholistic restoration.