Welcoming

Welcome back, welcome home, welcome in, you're welcome! Welcome, welcome, welcome.  Every September I put these words all over my classroom- on the door, in the halls, on their desks.  It has a ring to it: Welcome back.  Jay is home from college for fall break and of course we all say Welcome Home.  It has such meaning now that he is living somewhere else most of the year.  It's not something we say to just anyone, it is reserved for special people coming back to a special place.
I recently opened a meditation entitled, "Welcome".  I wasn't sure what to expect, but what happened was definitely not something I expected.  I just thought it was some ordinary talk about getting back to what you loved maybe, or going back to a place like home.  Not at all.  The speaker invited you to think of the last time someone made you feel welcome, with a hug, or a greeting, or an offer of a cup of tea.  She said to think of the last time someone gave you that big warm welcoming hug that made you feel loved.  Well, I have to be honest, it brought me to tears.  I suddenly had these images of my grandmother, who I hadn't thought of in a while, but who never failed to make me feel welcome.  Even in her last days when her body couldn't move too freely she would swing her arms wide and gather you up for a great, warm, loving hug.  I missed her so much right then, her open happy smile, her bright, shining eyes, and her love.  And it made me cry - that is a welcome I miss.
These days when I try to hug my kids, I'm usually greeted with a stiff arm swipe across the back or maybe a quick pat.  They hold their necks as if to say, "Don't you dare try to kiss my cheek!"  It's not very welcome.  And it urges me to give up.  But you know what, I won't.  I want my kids to feel welcome every time they see me.  You never know when they may really be needing that hug, and I'm not going to hold back.  Maybe someday they'll be missing me and the hugs I give now will remind them of just how much they are loved.  So they are just going to have to deal with it.
I think of others too - the people I work with or friends I don't see much.  How often do they feel welcome?  The other day I ran into an old friend and our hands were both full at the time and we didn't hug, but I think he knew from my smile that I was happy to see him and that I was welcoming him back.  Sometimes there are reasons for us to hold back from hugging and truly welcoming another, but there shouldn't be many.  Pass on the love!  Welcome someone home.  Welcome someone back.  You may never know how much they need to feel welcomed.  Find someone who makes you feel welcome too.