General

Reading a face is using your intuition to see the real person, to allow your loving heart to see below their mask and respond with grace and tact to their real needs. It is part of nurture, part of healing, and we are supposed to do it with the intention of raising them up, keeping them safe, showing that they are sacred to us.

General

Lara is slumped at the breakfast table, her brows creased and face tense. When Mom sits, coffee in hand, she asks "What's up?" her tone casual and light.

Lara's scowls at her scrambled eggs, "I don't know whether to do basketball or swimming. I like both but I only see Claire at swimming."

Mom takes another sip and then continues, serious faced, "I see, well, what's does your gut tell you? Which one do you want more?"

Lara's face crumples again, "I don't know!"

Mom makes her face straighter than a poker player and says, "Lara, you're not going swimming." For a fraction of a second the corners of Lara's mouth twitch upwards, until her conscious mind asserts control again. Then Mom says "Actually, no, you're not going to basketball." Lara's face is serious all the way from her eyes to her mouth, no pleasure at all, not even masked. "OK," Mom says, "We'll finish this set of swim lessons, then switch to just basketball. You can still see Claire every week, OK honey?"

By Angela Abraham, @daisydescriptionari, February 3, 2015.