This was truly a "storied" weekend for those of us who told our personal stories and practiced hearing the stories of others. It was an experience in dialoguing, as Jews, Muslims and Christians came together on Saturday evening at the San Luis Obispo Public Library, and then again on Sunday afternoon at Cal Poly, to learn how to tell and listen to "the other side of the story." Being heard is what it's all about.

The dialoguing process was demonstrated to us by an American Jew, Robbie Franco, who had lived in Israel for 15 years, and Elias Botto, a Palestinian American who was born and raised in Jerusalem before coming to America in 1986. With this demonstration under its belt, people in the audience were then asked to pair off and try it out for themselves. This they did, with infectious enthusiasm.

Founded 12 years ago by Len and Libby Traubman, the Jewish-Palestinian Living Room Dialogue Group of San Mateo has spawned Dialogue groups in homes and on college campuses around the country to promote a way of getting past the finger-pointing and blaming that have kept the world embroiled and embattled over the Middle East conflict. The Group's mission: "We are 30 Jews, Palestinians and supportive others dedicated to meeting monthly in each other's living rooms, hearing one another's stories, practicing compassionate listening, and envisioning our shared future. In Dialogue, we seek to promote a model for healing, creativity, and cooperation for Palestinians and Jews in Israel and Palestine, and for other peoples worldwide."

At the invitation of our friends, Phyllis and Bill Davies, the Traubmans came to town this weekend with Robbie and Elias, and we had the privilege of hosting the Traubmans in our home while they were here.

These few photos capture some of the memorable moments and people of our weekend dialoguing. [Double-click on each photo to enlarge it.}