Witchy Day 25: How do your close ones feel about your Path?

I hid my beliefs for a few years, at the beginning. Coming from a Catholic background, I didn't think it would be welcomed with open arms. But after a while, it was really starting to wear on me. I didn't feel comfortable faking it anymore. At first, my mother was not happy. Well, "not happy" is an understatement. She was livid! And then we just didn't talk about it. Simple enough. It' s not like I flashed it around. I just didn't bring it up. I politely declined Mass, kept my alter under wraps, stuff like that.

Years later, her nosiness won out. She had become curious in my inner comfort. She wanted to know how I could feel so at peace with the world when I didn't accept Christ. She began to ask questions, and I tried to answer, but she still doesn't quite get it. No longer asking many questions, Mom has decided to just accept it.

My inlaws are a whole other story. Raised Baptists, they do not accept my path. One has even gone far enough as to shoving a cross under my mattress in hopes that Jesus would watch over me. <--True story! I found it when I flipped the mattress. I in turn put a satchel full of hops under her bed. She didn't know that it was just going to help her sleep better. I let her believe I put a hex on her. I found it rather amusing anyway. (Hubby did too) I did tell her eventually, but I proved my point.

My true friends know what my beliefs are and have never tried to "convert" me. A few share the same thoughts on life, the path, and so forth, and it truly is a blessing to have others that I can talk to about the craft. There's not a large Wiccan community where I live so there's not too many people to share ideas and spells and such.

All in all, I feel that those around me can either accept me and my beliefs, or they don't. I really don't care. An' it harm none, do as thou wilt. Right? To quote one of my favorite authors, Jaqueline Carey, " All Ways lead to the Way". Meaning that in the end, it doesn't matter how we get to where we're going, it's what we do to get there.