Cultivate Kindness
My late wife was in a blended family, brothers and sisters with her mother’s new family. Brothers and sisters with her father’s new family. There were no halves about it. They were simply her brother’s and sisters. Like a mother hen, as the oldest, she gathered them into her arms. I’m with one of those families, her father’s, this weekend in Taos. We came from different directions for a music festival, but the result is the same, we’re together for a bit.
I know that social media has fallen into disrepute in some quarters, but it sure has helped me keep in touch with distant kin. Comings and going are noted and in this case a random music festival has allowed us to hug and see one another. We’ll leave here with love and family reaffirmed and go back to our daily lives knowing we’re not alone in the cosmos. That seems like a big win.
As for me, it’s a good reminder that love requires effort. Now that I’m carrying the flag of their sister, I need to honor that in every way possible. It’s not all that hard. It seems family love is the sort of love given freely without restrictions and you get what you give. And the cosmos reminded me of this yesterday on another front when I saw a sign that said, “cultivate kindness.” That seems a good family dynamic and one their late sister practiced without hesitation.