I have a hard time sometimes loving people correctly when they steal my (or someone I love’s) joy or cause me (same drill) turmoil. Don’t we all I suppose. Lately I have had to begin to learn how because I live very close to someone who accidentally steals my joy. He is a very practical person who would rather not have flowers than even think about weeds and all of the ways that things up close to your house make life harder and sometimes uglier for a few days if you can’t maintain the beds. A person who loves me very much but cannot understand why I sometimes do the things I do. A person who thinks his way is the best way things should be so why do them they way, I don’t know… maybe I would want to do them.
Then there is the person caught in the middle – who loves us both and who understands where we are both coming from and has to make sure that we don’t offend each other too often.
All of this to say – my joy-stealer, deep deep down in his heart, would be very hurt and sad if he knew that is how I sometimes thought of him. The person in the middle endures a little extra stress and strife because that is how I think of said stealer of joy and I waste time and energy being upset about it.
I’ve decided it is time to do something different. I don’t know what yet , but I’m sure it’ll come to me and I’ve decided that – no matter what – I will not ever call (even in my head) my father-in-law – who, yes, is my neighbor – the Joy Thief (sardonically, humorously, seriously, or while I’m crying because he ran over my flowers with his tractor – which admittedly hasn’t happened in a long while now). Maybe I’ll just try Dad… 😉
a time to laugh 