Liar, liar...

I hate being lied to.  It's the one thing that cuts right through me, that makes me feel like the person who lies to me must think I'm stupid.

I have been lied to so much that I make a sport of examining the response when I catch someone in a lie.  The coy smile as if to apologize, the promise to never lie again, the look on their faces as they pause for a moment to concoct a lie to cover the previous one, the way they hold their breath looking at your face to see if you are buying it at all. 

Many people close to me in my life have lied to me.  I forgive them and they lie again.  I forgive again.  They lie again.  I try to rationalize why they do this.  They must be having problems handling confrontation.  They must not want to hurt me with the truth.  They must be truly unhappy.

Or maybe they are just unkind, lack integrity, and are not worthy of my friendship - unfortunately they are my family so I am stuck with them and with finding ways to forgive them again...and again.