“Feeling loved” does not come easily to Jhali; she & her family are a quiet group of jewelers mostly pearl; their roots are from Mahe, Seychelles, Indian ocean. Odd that she wears no earring or pendant, just her earth toned khadi clothes with shawl and flat chappals.
The last time I felt love from an unlikely source was when this same Jhali sent home a dinner spread: her way of thanking me for the Christmas musical for the school her kids go to. She has four just hitting / nearing teens. Yes they were in it too, the Musical
It was a rough & tumble funny 45 minutes about an orphanage in a valley that ran out of food one Christmas, but they yelled and wailed in prayer till a Lorry tipped over nearby and managed to send down enough eats to last them till New year (taken from a true life account from the loved George Verwer of OM) credit was given to MrGW, all that.
Jhali for some reason took the story personally and told me how she felt while watching it. I felt an impulse to hug her but held back, a bit uncertain cuz we’d never gotten close.
That was all unusual! After the fatigue of rushed rehearsals, torn costume to be stitched, dance, the tension of memorizing lines
and Jhali later at our door embarrassed at her own sweetness as she uncovered her dishes, with a smile that flashed like a reluctant Lighthouse,
It was too late to abort: there it was –
a certain sisterhood, complex yet as relevant as the stars shining down tonight as I write this one.
We were born to be loved, nurtured, cultured. Yeah yeah, we are the dust, lets just say –
birthed in oysters, waiting our moment to be that special beautiful thing to someone, and in our own eyes. We must look in the mirror and see how we wear that emotion – does it sparkle our skin, does it give a sense of worth, of unspeakable joy and gratitude?
Jhali barely smiles, but she does when she means it. Thank you dear friend. I hope I made you feel it too.
My big resolution this year is to tell people they are loved by God. I tried that at a store, and the lady gave me a strange look. Another florist momma, she grinned it right back at me.
Am guessing a good way to feel loved, is to give it away?
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