Presuming On Loved Ones: Missing What Matters Most

Stay put long enough. Die to the next thing, the must, the urgent, the insatiable distraction-thirst.

There is no good reason for assuming, presuming, often ignoring those closest to us. Oh there are explanations, and we understand and forgive and bear with. But the reasons are not really good ones.

“Too busy.” Really?
“I'm with her all the time, or at least I live in the same house. That goes a long way.” It does?
“He understands and he's busy, too, and so this is just the way it is.” Happy with that one?

Busyness feeds on itself, addicts itself, sickens healthy thought. Busyness is necessary, or so we think. What if we avoided it in every possible way? What if we embraced the oft-heard dictum: “Ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.”

With what do we replace this busyness, the drug of self-importance?

Presence. Faith. Quiet.

Dare to believe being is enough and learn to “turn off the comfort of noise” in it's myriad manifestations.

Be with, enjoy the person as the miracle she is, listen to what he thinks and speaks and stay put long enough to really learn from it.

Stay put long enough. Die to the next thing, the must, the urgent, the insatiable distraction-thirst.

Begin with God. He is enough. This is no religious notion or guilt-baiting as such. Just reality.

Begin with God. He is enough to capture the soul for eternity and we scarcely give Him the time of day. Begin with Him and you will begin to know what is. The dullness will begin to lift.

Begin with God and soon you will discover others – dis-cover. They have been covered to you because you have accepted all kinds of stultifying diversions as if they were reality. As being present before God begins to burn away the fog you will begin to awake.

“Who is this person, really?” you may hear yourself ask. This is halleluiah.

It is wrong for us to presume on our loved ones, and making excuse only entrenches the wrong. Leave off excuse and explanation. Practice gratitude for what is, prayers for making real what can be.

Presence. As we know Him we find we know what matters and begin to lean into it. And that makes all the difference: in our soul, in our everyday life, and, happily, with those we so dearly love but too-easily take for granted.