Being with loved ones who live far away fills me to overflowing with gratitude and joy.
I am also confronted by my ways of thinking that can be problematic. I love giving gifts, yet I am not always so astute in my choices. For example, I bought my granddaughter a fanciful skirt and shirt when I was in Paris last month, thinking how fun it'd be to see her in it----and forgetting that she might not find it so fun at all.
And she didn't. In fact, during her recent visit with me, it took all my persuasive powers to get her to simply try on the outfit. Then, when I realized what a ruckus she was making over wearing it (and when the tears rose to my eyes), I understood that it was merely my own wishful thinking that she'd want to wear that outfit, and that the very idea apparently made her feel absolutely horrible. Nothing I said made a difference. . . and I began to feel that I was merely trying to manipulate her.
So, I went in another room, cried about my idealistic nature that sets me up for disappointment too often, and made yet another vow to myself to accept people for who they are, rather than crying that they're not what I want them to be.
