I Am Not Necessary, and That Is Okay

I was away visiting my brother this past week, and I was little surprised, upon return, to find out that my little world went on without me.  Finn ate, slept, played, and even napped without my constant supervision.  My husband also managed to feed and take care of himself.  The house did not catch on fire. Turns out I am not essential to their survival.  The Twomey household does not fall into desolation if Mama takes a trip. 

But I am okay with the fact that I am not needed, at least not on the most basic level.  I can live without that weight on my shoulders.

Because that means I am wanted.

So much is made today of love, or rather, desire, being about need.  We call it hunger or addiction or dependence.  Presumably, when you no longer need someone they are disposable. You are free. But love is not as animal as they want us to think.  It's not about bare survival.  It's about choosing another person to share human life.  And if you choose them once, you can choose them again every day of your life. And that's what a family is about, a promise to always choose each other, even if you don't seem to need them right now.

After all, God gave us this gift to choose when He made mankind.  God did not need us, but He chose to make us.  He wanted every one of us.  And God, whom everyone and everything needs to exist, wanted us to choose freely to love Him.  Is it any wonder, then, that He allows us to do the same for each other?  We are not doomed to love or fated to love, but we are created to choose love, made to voluntarily participate in community.


When I arrived home, I wasn't reproached for leaving my husband and son to certain doom, but I was welcomed gladly.  I was missed.  Maybe they didn't need me, but they sure appreciated having me back.  Maybe we could survive alone, but life is better lived together.


Today is: The Feast of St. Eustace
Finn is: watching the Tigers game
Gigi is: almost 8 months old!
Mama is back to reading: Joan of Arc by Mark Twain