Saturday, November 24, 2007

Truth, Honesty, and Compassion

We are called, one day at a time, to meet this world and the people in it with truth, honesty, and compassion. I find with the people I love most, I will have to attempt this on a "one moment at a time" basis - slowly, carefully.....

I am too used to holding myself back for fear of hurting their feelings, upsetting them in some way, or of making them angry at me. It is even more important to be forthright in those relationships that matter most to us. Who knows what loving gifts you are withholding from them by not sharing your honest responses.

And, if we hold back from telling somebody when they are stepping on our toes, or how our needs are not being met the way things are going, are we also holding back in our expressions of love which would let them know how much they really mean to us.

I have loved four men in my life - my father, two husbands, and a son. I was only able to "really" express that love to my second husband. I was not able to be honest with any of them about how my needs were not being met.

If I look a little deeper, I will see that I have withheld these things from myself as well. In other words, I have cheated myself and everybody around me of the very things that matter most in this world.

It takes a great deal of courage to be honest with ourselves - and even more courage to carry that honesty into our relationships with others - but with the time I have left, I am going to try to be brave enough to do that.

Who knows what beautiful gifts we might "birth" in our Selves, our lives and in the lives of others by this one courageous act.

2 comments:

Wollf Howlsatmoon said...

Yes, PWW, the Courage to first accept and then to Be ourselves is a mystical Journey of itself.

Another strike right on the nail head.
Most excellent.

Something I haven't asked before. I would be honored to include you in my sidebar Wollf Pack.

I haven't before, because I thought this was your private space.

Let me know.....
Your "other" fella,
Wollf

Rambling Rose said...

Thank you for your more than generous comments, Wollf, and for the offer to be included in your sidebar. I humbly accept and am honored by your request.

I don't feel it intrudes on my anonymity at all, and I feel we can only grow through journeys we are willing to share.