Be it a child, a partner, or a friend, giving a person unconditional presence is a gift of immense value to social beings like humans. Give attention to a child and the child will immediately blossom. But in order to be present with others, we have to be present with ourselves. It is possible to be present when everything is going well, but the challenge is to be present through the thick and thin of relationships. This requires practice, it requires the ability to treat thoughts as such - temporary influences on the canvas of consciousness. When we become meditative, we operate from a deeper place and thus gain the steadiness to share our presence with others.
