The kindness of strangers

Peace to those who have
always depended
on the kindness of strangers
because family
has not been kind

Peace to the dependable strangers

Peace to those who
find family in each
pair of eyes they see

Peace to those who leave
the porch light on
for the late night
travelers

~from my book 365 Days of Peace

I've always had dreams about houses, sleeping dreams and waking dreams, houses that I owned and lived in and houses where friends gathered around a cozy fire and shared food and fellowship. When I was a kid we lived in a house with a gravel driveway, and I vividly remember lying in bed at night hearing the crunch of tires on gravel letting me know my dad was home. Later, when I was in college and grad school, I would sometimes arrive at my parents' house for a weekend visit after dark, to find the porch light left on for me.

The porch light means we're waiting for you. It means we've anticipated your needs and we care. It means this is your home, too, and you can let yourself in anytime. It means we've gone to bed because all is well.

I hope you all have friends and family who keep the porch light on for you. And I hope you have created, in your home or in your spirit, a safe place for your own loved ones to return home, to find familiarity and refuge when the world is loud and scary. And maybe also a warm welcome to the stranger who has nowhere else to go. Let's leave the porch light on for each other.

Love,
Jessica