Building Relationships
In the world around us, we see people hurrying here, there and everywhere.
Now I could go on by quoting other famous people and what stats they've
provided. But, I won't. I'm going to give you my perspective of things
that I have personally lived or have been told by the many people
I speak with each day in my business and personal life.
Technology is growing so fast that many of us find ourselves running
to keep up with better, faster, more powerful. If we make our computers
faster, with more space, and easier to use, then why can't we do
more work in less time? This is the precedent being set for most
people, including those families who have to have 2 incomes to keep
up with rising costs. Why? Unless you keep up with the times knowledge-wise,
you can barely find a job where you're "not" saying, "Would you like
fries with your hamburger?"
It is because of these things that the breakdown of relationships
worldwide is apparent, and depression is running rampant. Now there
are many books and websites that teach how to live a frugal life
so you don't have to work so many hours or take a second job to make
ends meet. But instead of focusing on frugal living, (which we could
do for years), let's go in a different direction and work on better
understanding the basics of relationships and how to build them up.
This will help give people a support system.
I'd like to take you back to a time when women got married and the
new couple would move into or very close to their parent's home.
Parents would automatically help teach the young couple the how-to's
of married life. This gave them role models. Grandmothers, mothers
and other women in town would come together when a baby was born.
They'd care for the new mother and her household as well as help
teach her how to care for her new baby.
Do you remember a time where sewing circles weren't unique, but
rather common? Or have you ever heard of barn raisings? WHY do you
think these things occurred then and in some old-fashioned towns
still take place?
The reason as I see it is that God made people to help lift one
another up, building them up in love. People weren't meant to be
alone. They need others to enrich their lives. Women are natural
nurturers, caregivers. They were given to one another as a gift so
that someone would be there to nurture the nurturers. But there's
a breakdown in relationships today and we need to get back to the
basics of how to have long lasting ones.
Relationships don't seem to come as naturally as they once did.
Technology and the frantic pace of life these days has made it easy
for us to isolate ourselves from others. Therefore many women need
to learn how to build relationships with other women. They need to
be taught how to cry with one another. It doesn't matter who's hurting
worse or whether you can relate (although it does help). What matters
is that if someone is hurting, you should be compassionate enough
to let them release, unload, whine or whatever you want to call it
to get it out of their system.
This is how we learn about the character of our friends and family.
It's one thing to see one another in simple situations or during
normal days. But if you can be friends with someone through their
bad times, anger, blame, etc. How much stronger will your relationship
be throughout the years?
Building and maintaining meaningful relationships with others takes
time and effort. Someone once told me that friendships were like
a good batch of sourdough starter. For a healthy starter, there's
give and take. You feed the starter and nurture it, giving it what
it needs to mature into something wonderful. At the same time, you
take some of it away with you, but you always replenish it to keep
it fresh and healthy. Friendships, too, are give and take. If you
want a strong, healthy friendship, then you have to feed and nurture
it so it, too, can mature into something wonderful.
© 2002 Susie Glennan
Susie Glennan has been happily married since 1982, is mom to 3 teenagers,
and is a Home Maker, Nurturer, Teacher, Author, Professional Speaker,
Toastmaster, President of The Busy Woman, Inc., DBA - The Busy Woman's Daily
Planner®. She teaches time management seminars, offers FREE consultations
with your order, and will help you set up a schedule that's right for you.
800-848-7715 www.thebusywoman.com
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