Relationships

Today I struggled with relationships...

A friend experienced a crisis in another city, and there was nothing I could do about it from what I sat. I ached because I could not be there. I could not comfort or express anything...how I wished I could. I tried to reach out to my friend but he detached for whatever reason. How do I deal with this? As Eckhart Tolle stated, "All you can do is create a space...for grace and love to enter." I realized tonight that I must give him space...space to sort out his crisis. He knows that I am here if he needs me. That is all that I can do.


I also experienced a situation with a relative today. For years, I've put an expectation of how I thought our relationship should be. When it didn't fit this model, let's just say there's been resistance on both sides. We have our own distance between us, but I've been resisting our relationship as it is for years. How powerful this evening to realize that I need to accept the situation as it is...be willing to forgive myself for how we've lived and be willing to forgive her. I must stay true to who I am, and she must do the same. How did I not see this before?

It's about letting go...surrendering to this life. This doesn't mean inaction but rather acceptance of the situation as it IS. One of Eckhart's quotes on this is, "I have learned to offer no resistance to what is; I have learned to allow the present moment to be and accept the impermanent nature of all things and conditions. Thus I have found peace."