My grandma
In every home or circle of loved ones, there's someone who holds it all together. They've a quiet presence which is steady as a river and warm as morning light. They're the heartbeat of the places. They're the ones who carry the worries, laughs, hopes and griefs in the their hands. Let's call them a keeper of hearts. Their eyes, often, catch what words miss. The flicker of sadness behind a smile, the weight of a sigh no one else hears. They see you, like truly see you and hold what they see close without ever needing to say it.
Their strength is in the way they show up. Always, when someone's hurting or the world feels heavy. When sickness comes or hope goes, theyre there offering a meal and a kind word and making sure you get what you need without you having to ask. They do not ask for even a thankyou in return. Their own dreams and struggles coming with those, they tuck away behind a gentle look. It feels as if, their whole purpose is to life everyone else. They're the ground we walk on and the shelter we learn into. Giving everything while standing strong on their own.
They speak to every heart without trying, making each person feel like their love is just for them and yet it reaches everyone the same. What's intriguing to me is, they do not demand any sort of control or attention and their care flows naturally. You feel it, even if can't see it. The warmth they radiate, through their being, makes you feel like home.
But, who sees them? Who notices the weight they carry in those quiet moments?
Their eyes have a calmness that seems to know more than this world and yet they choose to stay here, pouring themselves into the people around them. They give and give, asking nothing back. What unlimited supply of tea this is, I ask? How is the cup overflowing always?
Their love is always there, warming everything and never burning out like sunlight. They're the proof that the greatest things in life aren't always loud and grand.
Still the question stands: who holds them when they're tired? Who listens to the heart they keep so hidden?
Perhaps, to honor them we could stoo and look, even give the fraction of what they have to offer. Offering time and care and making them feel seen.
They're the reason, we feel at home in the world. The most important part of love network.