The spiritual integration of longing for what is lost with active creation of new belonging, holding both simultaneously without resolution.
Rabia lived within a paradox: she experienced intense longing for divine union while fully engaged in earthly community. For found families in diaspora, the paradox of homesickness and home-making is central to lived experience. Members often feel simultaneously: grief for lost homelands and joy in chosen family; nostalgia for biological relatives and deep belonging with found family; desire to preserve the past and excitement about new possibilities; rootedness in the place they've chosen and the knowledge they remain forever partly foreign. Rather than resolving this paradox by prioritizing one side, Rabia's wisdom suggests holding both truths. One can authentically grieve what has been lost while fully committing to what is being created. This paradox is not a failure of belonging but its deepest reality. Found families that can collectively hold this paradox—celebrating together while mourning, building home while acknowledging displacement—develop profound resilience and wisdom. They teach that complete resolution is neither possible nor necessary; the integration of contradictions is the goal.
Peri can explain this concept, give practical examples, help you decide whether it applies to your situation, or recommend a journey if appropriate.
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