[MajestyJo]

Friday, November 14, 2014

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges.
—Joseph Fort Newton

Communication is much more than words. Words are merely fingers pointing the direction to understanding - they are not understanding itself. To really communicate with someone, we have to allow ourselves, just for a moment, to become that other person. When we do this, we begin to be able to see beyond the masks that hide what another person is really feeling.

When we take the time to really see others, we may discover they are frightened, timid people longing for understanding. When we get beyond reacting to their outward behavior and move toward viewing their inner selves, it is much easier to extend a hand of friendship, to say we care, and truly mean it.

Who can I see as they really are today?

This is true for most people, if we place ourselves in their shoes and recognize the fact that many are wearing masks and they too have been where we have been or they need a hand to get to where we are at.