CONNECTED FOR LIFE
Do you find yourself pulling away from others, especially if you've
experienced a crisis or deep disappointment? We need other people and
we'll never thrive as human beings in isolation.
A man who lost his wife to cancer found himself wanting to be alone.
In time he dropped out of his worshipping community and curtailed all
of the activities he and his wife had shared for so many years. He
increasingly kept to himself. He quit socializing at work and returned
straight home to an empty house. He turned down invitations from
friends and co-workers. His leisure time was now spent watching
television or working in his shop in the basement.
His contact with people dwindled until friends became alarmed that he
might live out his life as a recluse. One came by to visit and to
invite him over for supper the next evening. The two old friends sat
in comfortable chairs by a warm fireplace. The visitor extended the
invitation and encouraged him to allow others to share his pain. The
man responded that he figured that he was better off without being
around other people, who seemed to remind him of all he had lost. And
besides, it was just too difficult to get out anymore.
They sat in silence for a while, watching the wood burn in the
fireplace. Then the visitor did an unusual thing. He took the tongs
from the rack, reached into the fire, pulled out a flaming ember, and
laid it down by itself on the hearth. He still said nothing. Both men
silently watched the red-hot ember lose its glow and turn slowly into
a crusty, black lump. After some moments, the man turned to his
companion and said, "I get the message, my friend. IÆll be over
tomorrow evening."
We cannot survive in any healthy way by ourselves. The leaf needs the
branch. The branch needs the trunk. The trunk needs the roots. And the
roots need the rest of the tree. We are connected. And in that
connection we find life.
Steve Goodier
Publisher@... is a professional
speaker, consultant and author of numerous books. Visit his site for
more information, or to sign up for his FREE newsletter of Life, Love
and Laughter at
http://LifeSupportSystem.com.
