Listening

This week as I was waiting for my son to finish his guitar lesson, I learned the importance of listening.  A woman came into the shop, talked to the owner, and sat down next to me.  She was taking some time to 'catch her breath and cool off'.  Summers are hot and humid here and on this particular day, it was like a steaming sauna outside.  At first, I just smiled at her, agreed that it was indeed hot outside, and went back to my kindle.  She asked if it was always this hot here.   Her question made me wonder if she was new to the area.  I know that can be difficult, so I put down my kindle.   I told her that summers are indeed hot and then asked if she had just recently moved here.  She said that she had been here almost two years.  That's when I knew.....She didn't really want to talk about the weather, she just needed someone to listen to her story.

I asked her questions like where was she from and what brought her here.  She spent the next fifteen minutes or so telling me about her family.   She lives in a home with her father, brother, and sister-in-law.  Her father is battling cancer and the effects of old age.  Her brother is also battling cancer and is running out of treatment options.  She told me how difficult it was to, daily, watch two people you love die from this terrible disease.  My heart broke for her.  I asked a few more questions, but mainly listened as she shared what was on her heart.  When she was done, she popped up out of her chair and said she needed to be on her way.  She turned to me and jokingly asked how much she owed me.  She said that having someone listen to her was the best therapy she had had in a long time.  We both laughed.  She thanked me for listening.  I thanked her for sharing.

After she left, I thought about the importance of listening.  Listening tells the other person that they have worth and value.  It tells them that what they think and feel and say matter.  Listening is really an act of love and a way to honor another person.  So the next time you are in a waiting room or standing in line, put down your electronic device of choice and listen....