In this post on Awake and Witness, Karen Johnston offers a picture of how we can be there for one another, even when confronted with defiant reactions (either from others or from ourselves).
As the mother of children who first react to uncomfortable or confusing situations with defiance (and who have been misunderstood and at times mistreated because of this), Karen’s bus stop story particularly touched me.
Her post describes the kind of patience and compassion towards which I strive in my personal interactions, and which I hope my children—and everyone—will receive when they go out into the world.
Imperfect Happiness 