United souls are not satisfied with embraces, but desire to be truly each other.
—Sir Thomas Browne
If hugs could melt, if kisses were made of nothing but pure air, if talkers always agreed, and if hearts all beat to the same drum, would we desire any longer to be truly each other? No two leaves on a tree turn the same way in the wind; no two fish in a school tread the same water; and no two people can live the same life. Therefore, when we hug, let's leave some space; when we kiss, let's allow each other to breathe; when we talk, let's permit each other to disagree; and when we love, let's honor each other's rhythm and way.
Is it our similarities or differences that make us want to know each other better?
This reading is from
Today's Gift: Daily Meditations for Families ©1985, 1991 by Hazelden Foundation, posted on the "Thought for the Day" page at the Hazelden/Betty Ford Foundation web site. Additional daily readings can be found here:
Thought for the Day | Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation.