Intertwine your fingers, so that your hands are clasped together with your thumbs crossed at the top. Note that although your hands are now thoroughly interconnected, there is a sheltered open space there between your palms.
Who do you invite into the sheltered space of your care and compassion?
It’s over now but I did welcome someone into that space: when I was a member of the Unitarian Church in Kansas City, MO, I was, first, an acquaintance of, Freeda Neuman and later what I can call a good, close friend. However, she was a cerebral palsied person who was limited to attending a sheltered workshop and instead of packaging nuts and bolts stayed there, ate lunch and knitted and crocheted. Why? She chose to do that because when she has been in a juvenile facility at the request of her mother, someone gave Freeda the gift of learning how to knit and crochet. Over the years, we socialized: out to eat; shop; etc. and even though she had to move from one facility to another, I always could find where she was and would visit her when I could. I admired her in so many ways but I had to reserve that special place in my heart for Freeda. When she died, I found out about it and fortunately I had some phone numbers of others in the city where she lived then, and we got together for lunch to talk abut Freeda in loving and caring ways. I loved her….she wore the bright colored dresses like I liked and we laughed at things together and she and I confided about things to each other. I miss her.