Our family was blown away with kindness one time when we came home from a long trip.  A neighbor, Joe, picked us up at the local airport in California. It’s always fun when you’ve been back East in the winter to return to California, especially at one of the local airports. They still use moveable stairways sometimes to deplane on the tarmac. Then you have a short walk to the terminal. It gives you time to be assaulted by the wonderful aroma of sweet fresh breezes, the delight of colorful trees (they’re green in January!) and the sunshine you can enjoy without wearing a parka.

The most wonderful thing that day was our neighbor waiting for us at the gate.  As soon as he could see us, Joe waved us to hurry up and shouted “Welcome Home!”  He gave everyone a big hug and wanted to know how the trip went and what we did. Then he started telling us what went on in the neighborhood while we were gone –  the magnolia tree had bloomed and the jacaranda trees would bloom any day. It was a very happy greeting and made us all feel so glad to be home! If Joe had a tail, it would have been wagging – and ours would have too!

At home we got an even more enthusiastic greeting from our dog Stormy (who’d been cared for by a pet sitter).  He barked and jumped and ran from person to person, not knowing who to jump on first. From then on he didn’t let us out of his sight. If anyone sat down, he jumped on their lap and licked their face. It was very clear he was glad to have us home.

Later, we talked about how good it felt to be welcomed home. We agreed we should be that nice to all our friends and especially our own family! Was Dad ignored when he got home from work every day? No, he said, he was always welcomed by the dog. In fact, Stormy made such a fuss when he got home, everyone knew that “Dad was in the house”.

Did the kids miss out on a greeting when they got home from school? No. Mom might not always be home but Stormy was always glad to see them. He barked and jumped and ran away and back again. And, if they didn’t pay attention to him, he’d grab one of their books and go running off to get them to chase him.

Greetings are times when we share our love with each other and tell our friends and family that we’re glad to see them!  Joe and Stormy taught us all about it.