I Start Disappearing

Nevertheless let each one among you also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see to it that she respect her husband. (Ephesians 5)

We have a daughter who is a late communicator. Many people, whether because of Down Syndrome, autism, disease or injury, face challenges in learning to communicate in healthy ways. We're currently learning how to be more balanced, matched, playful and responding in our interactions with our daughter. A late communicator can often feel alone and misunderstood. A late communicator may actually be able to talk quite well but may not know how to interact socially. A book we are reading to help us with this interaction is, "Play to Talk" by James McDonald. It has a poem "Respond and I will Exist". It has the following line in it.

"When you do not respond to what I do with you,
I start disappearing"

This is a reality in all our relationships and especially in our marriage relationship and in our relationship with God. When we notice, talk with, play with and try to understand our spouse, they not only feel more loved but also more substantial and real. When we stop interacting, listening and playing then our wife begins to feel like she is disappearing from our world.

Our interactions and responses to God also reveal how much He is a reality in each of our lives. If I don't try to listen to Him and don't respond to Him in my daily life, how real is He to me?

May God help us to see how we can "communicate" better, how we can interact better with those who are at the center of our life. May He give us grace to give up unhealthy habits of interaction and learn to love.

Respond and I Will Exist

When you respond to the little things I do,
My little sounds or the way I play,
I feel alive. I feel I'm real.

When you do not respond to what I do with you,
I start disappearing,
And feel I should not do what I'm doing.

When you respond to me,
I feel okay, I feel I belong to you.
I feel we are real partners.

When you do not respond to me,
I feel alone
I feel you are gone.

I am going to learn more
When you respond to whatever I do,
And then show me what to do next.

I have to feel alive to learn,
I feel alive when you respond to me.
I bet you didn't know you were that important! -- James MacDonald