Warmth

Warm people--those who take time to say just a little extra so their response is comforting. When you contact them with a problem, they take the time to be compassionate. Perhaps an emoji of a hug or a heart, or the kissy face that nicer phones have accompanies their words. These things add up over time, and they help us understand when someone doesn't have or take the time to be gentle or sympathetic. 

A loved one of ours used to call these sorts of warm people a 'soft place to land'. We can't always be a soft place to land, but we should certainly try. We want people to come to us with their problems and find comfort and direction. 

It is a challenge to continue to interact with those who seldom, if ever, respond sympathetically. Mechanical responses are a true turn off. It is tempting to write cold people off, but we should continue to love the less loveable and try to help them be more gentle. Most of all, may we look to ourselves to determine if we are being loving and gentle when others need it.