Relationships

I had some lovely comments about my new blog post yesterday including one which said

            “not everyone has the relationship with words you do.”

It was an interesting phrase that got me thinking, can you have a relationship with something as abstract as words and language?

We tend to think of relationships being with other people, husband and wife, parent and child, friends and family. That very important interaction between people.

If we are fortunate our relationships grow and flourish as we get to know people on a deeper level and it truly enriches our lives.

So how about a relationship with a pet? I’m not a great animal person to be honest but I have many friends who love their animals dearly and they can become a huge part of a person’s family.

A relationship with a plant? Well it is living and breathing, my dad is outside now in the garden, tidying up the greenhouse and planting new seeds. Taking time and care to cultivate something new.

Youngest son was given a cacti type plant as a gift before going to university and looking after it has given him pleasure and a sense of fear when a leaf dropped off and he wondered what he should do. Would it die?

The loss of a relationship can be unbearable, the death of a person, pet or maybe even a plant.

So back to the abstract, my relationship with words. The way I like to play with them, tease them into pleasing sentences, getting the meter right in a poem so it flows.

And when I don’t sit and play with new ideas? I guess a little bit of me does die inside, an inner light dims and my eyes don’t give off as much sparkle.

Oh the fanciful ideas of a would be writer!!!! Hehehe

And what of the most important relationship of all? Our relationship with the creator of the universe – God, the Almighty.

Ah - now some might say that’s an abstract construct too!

But for me my relationship with God is real and growing, changing over the years, as all relationships do, developing to a deeper level and understanding as time and circumstances shape my experiences.

I’ve been through a lot of challenges recently but it’s in those tough times that all relationships really grow and God has once again become more real and tangible to me.

Maybe the comment I started with could have read

            “not everyone has the GIFT with words you do.”

Perhaps that would have made more sense, but then I wouldn’t have pondered and written so much today.

Ultimately I think all relationships are a gift and that includes all the types I’ve written about today.

That God wants to know us and be involved in our lives is a tremendous gift.

That another human being opens up and shares their lives with us is a humbling gift.

That an animal brings out the compassionate side of us is an amazing gift.

That we care enough for the world that we want to take time to make plants grown and thrive is a green-fingered gift to the planet!

And my relationship with words? I hope it is a gift to you and I know it’s a gift from God that fills me with much joy.

So what gifts and relationships do you have that bring you joy? 

Perhaps ponder how you can grow and develop them today!