“A little girl with an alcoholic father sees his unhappiness and wants to make him happy, so that she can experience unconditional love, the love of being, flowing between them.  Unfortunately, out of her desire to please him, she also winds up bending herself out of shape, disregarding her own needs, and blaming herself for failing to make him happy.  As a result, she ends up with a harsh inner critic and repeatedly reenacts a neurotic victim role with the men in her life.  Although her fixation on trying to please is misguided, it originally arose out of a specific generosity and caring for her father.” John Welwood

“To him she seemed so seductive, so different from ordinary people, that he could not understand why no one was as disturbed as he by the clicking of her heels on the paving stones, why no one else’s heart was wild with the breeze stirred by the sighs of her veils, why everyone did not go mad with the movements of her braid, the flight of her hands, the gold of her laughter.  He had not missed a single one of her gestures, not one of the indications of her character, but he did not dare approach for fear of destroying the spell.” Gabriel Marquez

And God Said No

I asked God to take away my pride. And God said “No.” He said it was not for Him to take away, but for me to give up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole. And God said “No.” He said her spirit is whole, her body is only temporary.

I asked God to grant me patience. And God said “No.” He said patience is a by-product of tribulations. It isn’t granted, it’s earned.

I asked God to give me happiness. And God said “No.” He said He gives me blessings, happiness is up to me.

I asked God to spare me pain. And God said “No.” He said suffering draws me apart from worldly cares and brings me closer to Him.

I asked God to make my spirit grow. And God said “No.” He said I must grow on my own. But He will prune me to make me fruitful.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life. And God said “No.” He said He will give me life, that I may enjoy all things.

I asked God to help me love others as much as he loves me. And God said, “Yes, finally you have the idea!”

Copyright © Claudia Minden Weisz