My aunt never really liked reading. It just wasn’t something that she could do well. Now that she is living with my husband and I, it is very difficult for her to understand what it is like for me when I am writing. My husband is an avid reader, and he has done some writing himself, when he sees that I am writing, he leaves me alone. If he does interrupt me, he understands it when I tell him that I need just a minute to finish a sentence or a thought. However, when my aunt sees me writing, she doesn’t understand. She can’t even conceive of the idea of writing a short story, much less a novel. When I am writing, she really doesn’t understand what I am doing and thinks I can stop at any time.
In my current project, I took some time to map out the project on a poster board. She doesn’t understand how I am using that poster board to create the story I am writing on my laptop. It really doesn’t matter that she doesn’t understand. I can’t control that. What I can control is my having patience with her.
Sometimes having patience for others is challenging at the very least. Living with my aunt is teaching me a lesson in patience. I have learned that patience comes when I try to understand the other person. Yes, it is difficult that she doesn’t understand my point of view, but when I try to understand hers, it softens my heart. Even if I didn’t understand her point of view, if I just realized that she doesn’t understand my perspective and I can’t control that, then it gives me chance to open up my heart and love someone else the way that God commands me to love my brothers and sisters in Christ the way I would love myself.
I can’t change her. I may not even understand her, but I can understand that she sees the world just a little different than I do, her journey isn’t the same as mine, and I can open my heart just a little and have just a little patience and love because of that, can’t I?
My faith saved me. May God’s peace reside in all of our hearts.
