For the past several days, I have had the great pleasure of being hosted by Johan and Kathy. Kathy and my mom have been friends for many years, and when mom reached out to Kathy about hosting, she and Johan said yes. As it turned out, Chandler and I stayed for several nights, setting out each morning to Walk in a different part of Seattle, and returning each evening to a lovely supper with Kathy, Johan, Kathy’s mother (Vyrel, 91) and father (Frank, 95).
Each evening befor the meal, we said grace and mentioned something we were grateful for and we sat together without electronic gadgets, enjoying each other’s company.
Chandler figured out very quickly that Frank always had a hand ready to scratch or pet her, and enjoyed extra attention from him as often as she could get it. This included finding a place on his lap (with his blessing, of course) each evening for a little television.
What I noticed about my time with these four was a remarkable sense of Peace. They all share space, and even so, there is autonomy, respect, privacy, inclusion and love present in their communication and interactions with each other.
As I said my goodbyes and headed out, I couldn’t help but feel I’m just a little bit more at Peace for having lived time with these four lovely people.