........................

It wasn´t long ago that I was like a little rock skipping across a river- barely taking time to enjoy the river water, hopping as many times in hopes to make it to the destination but ultimately sinking to the bottom. I packed my days with things to `get done´, cross it off the list, only to add more and most things were extraneous indeed.

(Insert your custom inspirational statements here)

Then I stop to see the fog and feel the mist and hop rocks...and remember it is all about relationships... and taking time to cultivate them:

More and more, the desire grows in me simply to walk around, greet people , enter their homes, sit on their doorsteps, play ball, throw water, and be known as someone who wants to live with them. It is a privelege to have the time to practice this simple ministry of presence. Still, it is not as simple as it seems. My own desire to be useful, to do something significant, or to be a part of some impressive project is so strong that soon my time is taken up by meetings, conferences, study groups, and workshops that prevent me from walking the streets. It is difficult not to have plans, not to organize people around an urgent cause, and not to feel that you are working directly for social progress. But I wonder more and more if the first thing shouldn't be to know people by name, to eat and drink with them, to listen to their stories and tell your own, and to let them know with words, handshakes, and hugs that you do not simply like them, but you truly love them. ~ Henry Nouwen