This weekend was one of the best of my life. I spent this weekend in Baltimore at the African American Heritage Retreat. I was invited to attend by a friend of mine that I knew from working with another organization and she assured me that I would like it and she also arranged for me a place to stay and means of which to get there so I didn't really have much objection.
This was the 22nd year that this group was doing this retreat and you could tell that a lot of the people have known each other for some time but nevertheless, they invited me in with welcome arms and made me feel at home. I find that's how African American people are all around the country. We make everyone; rather they're white, brown, purple, or orange feel welcome and make them feel like family. I was talking with one lady who lived in Switzerland and she has been making the trip from her country to the retreats here in the states since 2001. She told me that it is important to her and she makes the trip every year because of the way the group makes her feel when she comes and the feeling that stays with her when she leaves. She gets this feeling of acceptance and love from her family at the retreat that she doesn't get from her biological family. This help me realize that you can make your own family wherever you go, with whoever gives you the love and support that you need. They people I met at this retreat I consider to now be my family here on the East Coast (where before I was alone but not anymore) and I can't wait to see them next year.
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