©IBKimage2013
We are used to seeing things in certain ways that help us recognize familiarity. Putting letters of a familiar word, as in our image today, in a non-standard position can make us feel uncomfortable. It can also make us stop and think about how else we might want to express something familiar in a new way to perhaps look at the parts that make up the whole or find a new application.
Our word today is a familiar one and we all have experienced what it feels like to be truly welcomed by someone; or perhaps we invite people in to our spaces to share our life in some way with them; we used to say you’re welcome when someone thanked us for something, but now we often hear: “no problem,” which seems to answer something else.
I’d welcome the opportunity for some feedback about how you welcome the stranger in your midst(or family and friends.) Perhaps you struggle to interact with those who are not you or don’t interest you. Why is that? These are some questions I’ve been living with this week. I send them on for further pondering.
IBK
2 Comments
In Uganda, where I was just working, people were always greeting me with “You are welcome.” I liked it. While we Americans may occasionally greet someone into our homes with “Welcome,” the use of the full sentence made this greeting more personal.
… Your observation about how we often hear “No problem” instead of “You’re welcome” is very interesting. It seems one more indication of the increasing lack of grace in our society today.