“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” – Mark Twain
Feeling Like Family ….
Having a sense of belonging … being included as an equal … feeling inclusive love … are some of the many gifts extended me during one of my summer adventures as I began my transition into retirement. I was the outsider brought into the family of a close friend, and I was quickly swept in with enormous kindness, love and inclusiveness … creating rich feelings that deeply touched my core and left me feeling ever so wonderful.
My “regular” family is very dear to me with its few loving members spread to the south and east. And the joyful feelings experienced within only a week from this new family left me feeling like many years of togetherness had passed rather than only the few days of my visit. The depth of their welcome overwhelmed me in so many good ways and left an imprint still felt today. It was an amazing feeling … an amazingly rich and wonderful feeling. Being welcomed with love, included as though you never where outside, and made to feel an equal … such things create feelings that touch the very core of many, if not all of us. And when these things are woven into the context of being an outsider to the family of another, they become even more powerful … at least for me. This precious window of my life meant the world to me, and I will cherish that visit and those feelings forever. But then, loving kindness and inclusiveness has a way of doing that doesn’t it …..
1 man's Journey 