The Other B-day Gift
Yesterday, I was thrilled to receive birthday wishes from the land of Brexit and Estonia. The day after my birthday, however, beautiful messages of validation are followed by feelings of dismissal.
How can I describe my feelings without referencing the specifics? I will ask a question instead of giving an example: Have you ever passed judgment on someone because of an opinion they expressed to someone else which had nothing directly to do with you?
I am angry and here’s the thing, I received a text proselytizing the belief in Christ as the only way to peace in this life. The message was unsolicited and unexpected. The person who sent is an acquaintance and a friend of a family member; they are hardcore Christian, and because of that I have chosen not to pursue a friendship with them, so receiving an ultimatum, Christ or eternal damnation, pissed me off, and I responded. That is the back story.
I took a walk to chew over this grizzle and as the joints loosened up my mind did as well. I considered what family means to me, and I came up with the following; Family, are those who choose to show you that in the vastness of this universe you are significant to them. Beliefs differ as much as personalities do. In my family, there is an atheist, a theater director, an artist, an angry Buddhist, a Christian, a salesman, a survivor, a conservative, a progressive plus, and a rebel. (Note) The rebel and conservative forgot to wish their dad a happy birthday.
Difference and similarities make the world go around. If there is an ultimate authority on life, God or love it’s created by everyone, and our togetherness with all the outward differences is the underlying essential expression of reality.
