To Be Understood

This morning’s quiet pause brought forth an unexpected reflection

as it so often does. I was desiring for someone to stop assuming they know who I am, and understand me instead.

The words of Francis of Assisi resounded within,

That I may not so much seek to be understood, but to understand

I, like many of us I suppose, desire to be understood. We may feel that

“If only I could be understood at my deepest of being, then I would be

at peace.” Today I experienced this Peace. I experienced this

gaping sense of being misunderstood, this

open wound, being healed.

Today I am practicing

seeking to understand another, rather than seeking to be understood.

All the while admitting that I, Mary, of my own accord,

do not truly have the capacity to understand

without the help of the LOVE who is

beyond all understanding. LOVE that heals what

I can only describe as a “nameless gap.”

After my practice, I am immensely relieved.

Never have I understood another so well in all my life;

this other wasn’t “the other” anymore,

and in so,

never have I felt so understood in all my life. Wow.

LOVE CLOSES THE GAP.