Family challenges

In this post-holiday time I’m thinking of families: 

Folks grouped together with broad commonalities 

But subtle differences,

And how easy it is to celebrate the first 

Yet struggle with the second: 

The choices, the personalities, the styles and beliefs 

That make sense to one but not to another; 

The ways we revert to old patterns 

And listen without hearing, 

And how we manage to co-exist over time…