Are they mad!

Father and Son, Will and Neville

I begin to understand how odd it must seem to have "spiritual parents"!  What seems so normal to you as the parent, the prayerfulness, the conversation about spirit, the rather old fashioned ideas and maybe rather modest dress plus the expectations on you as a young person to conform to whatever spiritual norms the parent has committed to seem to be common sense but it may not seem like that to the family you belong to.  I much enjoyed Will Hodgkinson's book The House is Full of Yogis, it is a truthful account from the child of a marriage which had encountered a very strong expression of spiritual life.  And it had a tenderness about it, a tenderness towards the spiritual striving of the Dad, of the reaction of the children and the difficulties it created in the marriage, I found it touching and felt for each member of the family, felt for Neville, the father who "finds" THE way and gradually distances himself from his old life, first hoping the family will join in but then just determinedly carrying on towards his spiritual goal.  I felt for the children whose life was turned upside down, not aggressively but just slowly changing and distancing them from what had been perceived as a norm.  I felt for the mother, trying to understand, not understanding, distancing herself and then finally extending a friendly hand out towards her husband in his new life.
I was touched too because we also stepped outside what might have been a norm with a sense of spiritual purpose, it wasn't the same but it marked our life out as slightly different to the apparent norm and it didn't really convince our family that they were marked out for a spiritual life!!! far from it, they seemed to find ample excuses to use the house as a great party venue while we were about our new spiritual life.  I think they think we are a bit mad!
Is there a right to this? I don't think so, I just think some people are going to go for a spiritual path if it opens up for them, and not everyone is going to follow them down it.  The great thing is to be patient and to keep friends with as many people as you can from both inside the new life as well as those who you were born to be with.