Courtesy of the Heart

There is a courtesy of the heart. It is akin to love. Out of it arises the purest courtesy in the outward behavior. ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe [Overeaters Anonymous, For Today (Kindle Locations 2249-2251)]

I met George W. Bush, candidate for governor;
on the same ballot I sought reelection to a county bench.
I'd met others. John Tower, Kay Bailey Hutchison,
Carole Rylander, Patricia Lykos, Barbara Culver...
many more. Many were kind (one noticeable exception)
but courtesy of the heart – the kind I remember clearly
these seventeen years later – emanated from Bush.
People in the rooms of Recovery have that same heart,
the love, the acceptance, the guilt-free trust.
They care. They believe in possibility in each person.
Without condoning negative behavior or words,
still they respect the individual.
Courtesy of the heart cannot be applied,
adopted, acquired. Nor can it be
forgotten.