"The people we love have two sides to them. One is the side they love you back with, and the other is the side that, even when they do not mean to, they can sting you with like a wasp."(F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life" p.12)
My hunch is almost everyone has experienced this at some point in their life. A parent who makes some caustic remark, a friend who talks behind our back, a child that talks back, a spouse that has some criticism of you they feel called to share. Unfortunately these things usually are occurring when the other party is miffed at something else, and you're the most immediate target. I believe it is also the case that most people that we love trust the relationship enough to believe we won't go away.
I also know that it is true of me, that sometimes my sarcasm can get the better of me. That I am just as capable as the next person of talking in a mocking or condescending way, even with those that I really do care about.
The messages can get confusing. Which is the way someone really feels about us. Is it the loving accepting person that we experience, or that caustic sharp tongued individual. We know which one we hope it is and would rather be around. But we can't always be sure.
Blessings,
Ed
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