Cherish Relationships

I just finished chatting on line with my sister Linda. I can't help but think what a great thing this technology is that allows us to sit in our own homes hundreds of miles away from each other and yet still by able to have a conversation. Pretty neat, I think! We can actually ask and answer questions without having to wait for the mail to arrive. Emails shortened that waiting time and while phoning is good, somehow I think this chatting is a lot of fun. And you have to admit chatting on line is less expensive that long distance phone calls. The fascinating thing was while I was chatting with Linda she was talking on the phone with Dorinda (in PA) who was IM-ing with Justin (in VA). I must say the world has gotten much smaller.

It's a wonderful feeling connecting with family. I was thinking quite a bit about that earlier this week as I was reflecting over the past couple of weeks and the amount of time that we (Elvin and I) spent with Elvin's mom in the hospital and taking her to various doctor's appointments. Coming to terms with the fact that her cancer is actually in Stage 2 and then thinking about the implications of trying to determine what kind of treatment will be best for a woman of her age. Once again I was reminded that none of us knows just how much time we might have to spend with family members. Once again I was reminded that I want to enjoy those moments with family - whether it is my biological family - siblings, children, grandchildren, or my circle of friends who are just like family.

"Cherish relationships," that's what I have been thinking. No task is as important as taking the time to share in relationship with another human being. So how is it that we get so caught up in the busy-ness of life that we forget about relationships? What is it that causes us to say no to spending time with the people we love in favor of cleaning the house or doing any of a myriad of other tasks that beckon for our time? How do we find that compromise between tasks and relationships? Sure we have to work and provide for the necessities of life, but what about all the other things that fill our days? I haven't found that perfect compromise, but I'll keep trying because I want to enjoy all the time that I can with the ones that I love.