Warmed by the Family

There is a love warmer than any heater, and it melts hearts.

The imagery is reflected in liquid wax. When melted, it may assume any shape to be molded into oneness with its surroundings. I was like melted wax in the warmth of my family this Christmas. Again we were all together.

            We are separate individuals, but what binds us together is being in a family. This bond defines us. It gives us identity which is deeper than the individual expression. It leads me in my roles. I am a mother, a wife, a sister, an aunt, an in-law, and a distant cousin. I do not belong to myself, but to them. I do not live alone, but in interaction. I find my own reflection in the being of others, and our mutual reflection is love. There is a bond, stronger than any other bonds: it is given, it is willed, it is the love that is warmer than any heater. It melted my heart this Christmas. I found my true self again. It was molded around the others, and found its final form.

           

            It seems to me that we live in an interaction to the unit: flexing between being an individual to being a part of it. Perhaps I had spent time as an individual, finding my voice, inspiration, my other roles in the community. For roles change as the family unit matures. But I also feel redeemed by the enclosure of our family, a mature unit. I know my place and I love it.