This Sunday, Dean Hill preached a sermon on the concept of “Welcome.” One of his main points included that presence and invitation were vital to a welcome.
I was lucky enough to welcome my Dad back to Boston this past weekend. Once I got out of class on Friday, I walked back to my dorm and greeted my Dad with an embrace. We quickly hopped into our rental car and our first stop was food of course. After lunch, we headed to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. My dad has always been into art and I thought he would really enjoy seeing the museum that I have frequented since my time in Boston.
As we looked over the hundreds of paintings and artifacts adorning each room and breezeway, I felt closer to my dad than ever. We would sometimes exchange words about a painting or a sculpture, but in reality we didn’t talk a whole lot. I felt filled with an immense feeling of gratefulness that we were sharing our presence with each other. As we continued our journey through the weekend, I kept seeing how just being present made our connection grow stronger.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned at Marsh, it is that presence inspires. Presence inspires others to to listen more closely, to laugh more heartily, to think more deeply, and to live more fully. Marsh embodies the concept of presence, and I strive to be more present each and every day.