Relationships
are important to me because it is how I express affection, love, and a sense of
connection with the people who matter to me. And, I try to follow the
commandment to love my neighbor, my neighbor is everyone I interact with. Not that I have the same relationship with
everyone, because there are degrees of interaction. My family is
one group that I have relationships with, and they are very important to me. I
have 2 sisters, three brothers, 5 nieces, and 3 nephews, my mother, and my dad
who is passed away. I love them all, and there is nothing I would not do for
each. Although, we are family,our relationships are in relation to communication. I have niece who has distanced herself from the
family, not only in miles, but communication. This does not change how I love
her, it only makes it impossible to share.
My sisters and
I speak every day on the phone, at least once but normally over 2 times a day.
My mother and I live together so we are very close. My brothers, I speak with at
least once or twice weekly sometimes more or less. A lot of times we have group
conversations on the phone. We laugh a lot, we see humor in a lot of everyday
things. We have family dinners at least 5 or 6 times a year. And since I am
here with Mama, I see them all when they come to visit her. My sister is my
best friend, just today she has called me over 3 times. Sometimes she calls to tell me how her day went, to listen to how mine was. Or she will call for me to give her a different perspective, to laugh, or just to vent. The fact that I
am in school, and it seems like I am always doing homework, limits how much I can be on the
phone.
When you have conversations
with people you share a relationship with, you talk about your day, your
challenges, your dreams and hopes, and of course your disappointments. These conversations give you insight into a
person's heart, you can encourage, and cheer them up. They can offer you
different perspectives, and inspire you.
A conversation involves listening to each other, sometimes all you do is
listen, because that is what they need at that time.I have friends
that talk to me infrequently, but the connection is still there. There is
trust, and memories of what we have shares. Some would call these acquaintances, but
if I am your friend then I will always be that. If does help to stay in
communication, but sometimes life has a way of separating you for a season.
Once I had a
acquaintance who told me when she met me; she thought for me, that I believed I was
cute. I told her I thought she was nice. And that is what happens to a lot people
thinking for others, estimating their worth and finding them short of it. That
is not how relationships are formed, we have to listen to each other. I have to fight that trait myself constantly,
not thinking for others, and to listen. Being mind readers, heart readers, is
the opposite of forming relationships. Because then you have taken on too much,
and not given what is needed, trust that the person can and will express their
own feelings.
A partnership
is sharing, trusting, and believing in each other. To trust that the person
will guard your heart, share theirs and believe in you is the foundation that
builds relationships. Because I am
sincerely interested in my colleagues, the children and their families, it
becomes apparent in our interactions. I value them, I know we learn new things constantly, and I am interested in what they have to share. This translate into an open door to form a partnership. Offering yourself for a relationship makes you vulnerable for rejection. Fear of rejection will hold you back from being sincere, if you hold back a part to protect. And without the sincerity a relationship will never exist. To work as a teacher, or administrator brings us into contact with children and their families and these can be long termed relationships that can span a lifetime. I want them to know me as a person who cared, who never changed, always willing to listen, and one day years later, I get to see their progress.
My Family!
Co-Workers
Student
Nieces& Nephews
