Relationship Reflection

My relationships are the foundation of my  life. The most important relationships are with those of my children. I wake up in the morning with them on my mind. I think of how I can serve them, tie heart strings, meet a need, make them happy and impart knowledge. At night, I ponder the day and wonder if I met my goals. I wake up and do that all over again. These relationships are ones that are nurtured. They don't necessarily give back. They require a disinterested benevolence. I give without expectation. This in turn creates rich blessings in my life. They do however, without knowing, create a positive impact on my life. They teach me lessons and make me grow.
My other relationships that fall under my best friends are positive because of acceptance and love. Nothing is required but me. It is freeing to be able to be oneself and to be accepted. The factors that develop these relationship are: consistent trustworthy responses, laughter, interest, light hearted-ness,honesty and faith. Maintaining relationships takes time and work.  I make time each Saturday morning to take one of my children to breakfast. This time is so precious. It allows each child to open up and feel special. They have my individual attention. This is not always the case coming from a big family. I value time with each of them, whether we are all together laughing or alone at breakfast. My other relationship with my best friend takes the same. We go to movies and out to dinner once a month. This allows us to catch up, share stories, encourage one another and laugh.
The grinding component that makes relationships hard is time. To create this time it takes work. As you work full time, create a home and pay bills there is not much time left. It is critical to make your world small enough to have the time it takes to foster relationships. I tend to say no to many personal invitations that would widen my circle of relationships. I want the relationships that I have to be authentic and life giving.
The commonalities between a professional partnership/relationship and a personal one is very much the same. The warmth and welcoming spirit within the work environment creates a foundation that can begin to foster meaningful bonds. You have to be willing to be interested, listen and desire to find solutions or just allow someone to be heard. These will  be the cornerstones to good family dynamics within your work environment.