Today Andrea and I had lunch at the Thistle Stop Café (thistlestopcafe.org).  It’s run as part of the community of Thistle Farms and Magdalene, which offer residential communities and a social enterprise for women who have survived prostitution, trafficking, and addiction.  For two years, they offer housing, food, medical and dental care, therapy, education, and job training without charging the residents or receiving government funding.  The community operates under the principles of hospitality to all, healing, chado (a Japanese word meaning “The Way of Tea”), and the story.  The café and donations bring in funding for the community, and the café offers a sanctuary for love, growth, and relationships.  We had a wonderful lunch and all the women there were welcoming and lovely.  They all have their stories to tell, but in the end those stories are ones of hope, and the power of social change.  Consider stopping in to see them if you’re ever in Nashville, or visiting their web site to purchase Thistle Farms products or to make a donation.