True-to-Life-Self

Recently, I watched my husband and some of his cousins sequester themselves for a few hours around a dining room table after the memorial service for their mom and aunt. These men had grown up together on a ranch riding horses, herding cattle and bucking hay. 

Some of them continue to make their livelihood in this way and are permanently scared from their cowboying; a dent between an eye and nose from stringing fence wire that sprang out of control, mangled fingers from a piece of farm machinery, or a slight limp from being bucked off a horse. 

These guys have weathered the hardships of their trade as well as the adversities of ordinary living, but their tribulations have not hardened their hearts. If anything, their trials have tenderized their hearts.

I watched them as they sat in straight back wooden chairs resting their arms on the dining room table and nodding their heads as they acknowledged each other’s words and thoughts. I listened discreetly as they conversed about family matters; the condition of an aging aunt, a grandchild with a learning impairment or a son or daughter who have disengaged themselves from the rest of the family and are missed greatly.  

When the topic turned to politics and religion, the nods of appreciation continued. There were similar and slightly different opinions around the table, but no hot headed remarks, sarcastic lashings or fist-to-cuffs. Instead, there was mutual respect, a new realization, or question posed. 

I admired these men who had a set precedence with one another; it was okay to be their true-to-life-self.

When my husband and I were alone, he told me, “That was good.” 

Why Bother?

Why bother being your true-to-life- self? I know that it is a rare and treasured experience when others accept our true-to-life self. The space they give us encourages and spurs us on in our pursuit of authenticity.

P.S.  I wrote the story of my journey to forgiveness for those who, like me, know they need to change, but are not quite sure where to start. You can find A Heart’s Journey To Forgiveness at Redemption Press and Amazon.