A man going abroad to work, leaves his fiancee
crying. "Don't worry, I will write you everyday," he said. For years he did
write her. But since he was happy with his job, he had no immediate plans of
going home. One day, he received a wedding invitation. His girl friend was
scheduled to be married. To whom? To the mailman bringing regularly the letters
of her boy friend! Indeed, distance does make hearts flounder.
The poor boyfriend surely explained,
"What went wrong? I sent her letters, chocolates, and flowers." When
relationships go wrong, the list of things given and done for the person usually
crops up. We say, "I have given you this and that...I have done these things for
you." It seems that love is simply proven by the bestowal of gifts and favors.
But while presents are important,
love demands what is basic: presence of the beloved. I have observed for
instance, the orchids of my mother. When she's away for a long time, they are
unhealthy and many of them wither. But when she is around, they bloom with
beautiful flowers. My mother does nothing exceptional. She just spends much time
talking and caressing them.
I guess
persons all the more require a caring presence. Love is fundamentally a
commitment to a person. We may be committed to our business, job, hobby, sports
and clubs, but strictly speaking, they cannot love us back. Only a person can
love us in return, and for that matter the highest commitment as human beings is
spending time with those persons we love. And since people need affection and
nourishment, material things can only help up to a certain degree in fostering
love. But it can never replace the greatest gift of presence.
Martha was busy with her job. She
believed she had to work harder because she loves her mother who is sick of
cancer. She has to provide for her expensive medicines. Her brothers and sisters
meanwhile stayed with their mother most of the time. They bathed her, sang for
her, spoon-fed her or simply kept her company.
One day Martha was hurt. She overheard her mother telling
her father, "All our children love me except Martha." "How can this be?" Martha
thought. "Am I not the one killing myself in my work to have money to buy for
her medicines? My brothers and sisters do not even provide their share in the
expenses as much as I do."
One
night, as Martha was as usual late in going home, she peeped for the first time
in the room where her mother was lying. She noticed that her mother was still
awake. She decided to come close at her bedside. Her mother held her hands and
said, "I miss you. I don't have much time. Stay with me." And she stayed with
her mother holding her hand the whole night.
The next morning Martha said to everybody, "I have taken
a leave of absence. I would like to be with mother. I will bathe her and sing
for her from now on." Her mother had a beautiful smile. She knew this time
Martha loves her.
* As children, we
need the assuring presence of our loved ones. Adult people need no less. *