I was thinking back this morning to the wedding I attended earlier this month. It was one of the more memorable ones I’ve been to. Not for anything wild or crazy or particularly different – although the couple definitely made it a happy one all their own. This one stood out more for the welcome I felt I received from my boyfriend’s family, most of whom I had never met before and felt uncertain as to how they’d receive me. 

But happily, I think all went as well it could. 

I had a wonderful time, really. I met a fellow writer on her way to getting her books published, and we spent a lot of time sharing experiences and our thoughts on writing. Then there was the cousin who lived much further north than me, who I connected with around our mutual love of animals and rural life. People welcomed me to the fold, and I felt, in turn, something in me that had been hard and fearful, finally soften.

I found unexpected kindness everywhere, and chose this morning to look back on it and remember those small graces and be thankful.