Every day we have multiple opportunities to be welcoming. As a leader you will model welcoming behavior every time you meet with this group. Reflect on how you recognize the intangible gift of loving welcome.

How you have experienced welcome — as a child and as an adult — may influence how you feel about this session. Think about times when you felt welcomed by the love of strangers. Think about times when you have had an opportunity to show loving welcome to others. Acknowledge times when you did not feel loving toward others and were not as welcoming as you could have been. Gently let go of the negative experiences.

Take a moment to think about a joyous welcoming experience, such as a time when you welcomed someone who was visibly grateful, or a time when you deeply needed to be welcomed, and someone met your need. Keep this memory with you, and the positive energy it creates, as you lead this session.