In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.

When we go away and have to adjust to a different bed and someone else's cooking, we quickly discover how comfortable our own home is.

Comfort in a home is more than just a familiar bed and favorite food, it is something we can give to each other.

  We can make home a place where we can relax and be ourselves without fear of rejection.   

Each of us needs a special little place where we can come and seek refuge from the world, our own little "fort." 
 
  Children are often busy making "forts," but all of us in the family need to work at making the place where we live together a fort  where we can all gather for rest.

No two leaves on a tree turn the same way in the wind; no two fish in a school tread the same water; and no two people can live the same life.

Therefore, when we hug let's leave some space; when we kiss let's allow each other to breathe; when we talk let's permit each other to disagree ...

... when we love let's honor each other's rhythm and way.

Is it our similarities or differences that make us want to know each other better? 

 For instance, we may want to sneak a cookie to take to bed with us, or we may want to stay out late.

But is that the right thing to do? 

One way to tell is to think how we'll feel after we've done it. Will we be happy, or will we feel guilty because we know in our hearts it is wrong?

On the other hand, how would we feel if we resisted the temptation?

Perhaps we'd feel great because we'd know in our hearts we'd done the right thing.

And don't we deserve to feel good about ourselves?

Of course we do! 

How wonderful it is that our feelings can help us do the right thing when we're in doubt.