Velcro®

Looking closely at the two tabs of a Velcro® fastener one would be hard pressed to identify them as having come from the same place. The mind says, ‘This is no matched set…they can’t possibly belong to one-another’. One side is soft and cushioned while the other is stiff and springy. One side is sparse and translucent while the other is dense and opaque. Someone unfamiliar with their function could not possibly anticipate the value in bringing them together…or the difficulty in tearing them apart.

Funny…I was thinking about Velcro® this morning, after leaving my parents at the airport.

I am nothing like my parents in so many ways. The choices I have made bear little resemblance to the tenets they hold dear…yet here they were, half way around the world, confirming the perfect fit that nobody would suspect upon seeing us apart.

After a hug and kiss goodbye I watched them walk through the security gate, relieved that they didn't turn to see the tears. As our lives and worlds are once again pulled apart, I listen helplessly to the soft tearing sound coming from my heart.