Half a story, half a picture doesn't mean a whole truth.

Amongst my siblings and I we haven't had much of the above picture as adults. As kids, yes, but with there being seven of us you just found someone else to play with while you forgot about what the problem was and then you were friends again.

Dynamics change as you get older...and you add partners into the mix who come in with their own ways of doing things, own preconceived ideas, own ways of looking at life, own baggage. What was once a fairly functional, non-functional way of doing things and relating with your family of origin eventually becomes something that is questioned and challenged by the new-comers.

The hardest thing to deal with is when people only get half a story and half a picture and they come to a conclusion which becomes a whole truth. Offence is taken, feelings are hurt, accusations are hurled and the "innocent" party is left with their head spinning wondering, "Where the hell did that come from?" The hardest part is when the offended party refuses to communicate, refuses to hear an explanation, refuses even to hear a genuine, heart-felt apology for being unthinking and perhaps a little insensitive. Everything just gets blown out of all proportion and the event that was the cause of the angst is now tainted because of the offence taken.

How often do we all form our own truths from half a picture, half a story and a whole lot of assumption? Whatever happened to believing the best in people?