being there

“There is one thing, I believe, that all of us want, no matter how old we are, no matter whatever differences are between us, the one thing we cherish from another human being is attention. Love…is not certain. Some people will love us, and some people will not. But the one thing that anyone can give to any other person is simple attention. It is not as involved as in love. This attention may last 20 minutes or many hours. If you live with somebody it is repeated. ‘You are worthy of my attention.' That, I think, is the greatest gift we can give each other.”

-Magda Gerber