From what I’ve been told, some people were going around the festival and managed to gather a few others who were wearing Alex’s t-shirts in order to record a video for him and also send a few pictures! How incredible is that! We were speechless after watching such an incredible gesture, which will resonate in our hearts forever! This is exactly what matters the most to Alex, above and beyond everything else: this human connection that transcends every possible difference and simply yet powerfully unites us and gathers us all! As I’ve been sharing several times with you lately, this year has been quite challenging psychologically and physically for Alex following his surgery, but these little heartfelt gestures are worth more than anything, and they bring this connection between us to the next level.

The first thing I did when I saw this video last night was to stop everything I was doing with The Long Shadows, and then I obviously called Alex! We were both so moved, so touched. It gave birth to such an incredible conversation about how fortunate we are to be surrounded by really heartfelt and inspiring people! Alex told me something like “This is exactly why we’re doing what we do in the way we do it because in the end, isn’t this what we’ve truly been chasing?! As artists, it’s easy to take things for granted since we’re used to instant gratification, but when this isn’t what you’re looking for, real things can happen. We’re so blessed to be surrounded by such a high quality of people, and it’s through this connection, those exchanges, those postcards, those messages, those smiles during the shows followed by those hugs until the venue security guards kick us all out… To me, this is what I’m after, more than anything else.”

He kept going, saying “This is exactly what our Conversations, as you shared last week, will be all about! It’s not us and them, but us as a whole! And this is exactly what this amazing video is about! Us!!!! Life is so rich, with so many levels and layers of colors, tastes, sounds and wonders to encounter, especially when you’re not walking into life chasing to gratify and glorify your own self, but to simply be welcoming, with open arms.”

There’s something really scary and frightening when it comes to welcoming people into your life – unless you simply want to showcase how amazing you think you are. But the true and honest gesture of welcoming people is absolutely wonderful. Taking chances to travel through our different cultures, backgrounds, languages, thoughts, and visions of this world, we’re all in this together, right now, for a limited amount of time, so let’s give a real shot at creating something way above and beyond our own self by simply welcoming!

Alex concluded: “After watching this video, I sincerely felt like I was the one being welcomed now, and this also is kinda frightening! But I am starting to like this idea more and more… This is something we’ve been chasing and digging for a lot lately, brother! This is such a huge blessing, as it can open so many more closed doors where lives the unexpected! And this is what I’m after! Being welcomed… What a wonderful thing to not only experience, but to deeply embrace ! It’s one thing to understand it, but something else to comprehend it… Home is where we’re always welcome!

I’ll be forever grateful to be part of such an incredible journey with such incredible people who keep on reminding me what truly matters the most! I can’t wait to be back on the road, but for sure, videos like this really help accelerate the healing process!!!!” (we both laughed a lot!)

After we finished talking, I googled “The Act of Welcoming” and this is what came up:

“Welcoming includes a set of attitudes, gestures and things which convey a person or an idea from the outside to the interior of a place or a community, and which transforms the stranger into a person or idea, known and accepted.”