May 7
The Unanswered Message
The message has been read, but there is no reply. Within minutes, a small silence can become a whole story. They are annoyed with us. We have become unimportant. Perhaps we should send something else, something that will make them understand how much their silence hurts. Nothing has actually happened except that someone has not answered yet.
Closeness does give us reasons to expect consideration. It also brings us near the places where fear asks for more reassurance than another person can reasonably provide. We might need to discuss a pattern of neglect. We might also need to sit with an ordinary delay without turning it into a judgment about our worth. Prayer can begin right there, before we know which it is. We can ask for help seeing the person beyond the reply we want.
What story am I adding to another person's silence?
There may be more happening than I know.
For the A.A. nerds: As Bill Sees It, No. 288, “Emotional Sobriety.”