Eternal Moments of the Day—A Listening Ear
Sometimes all someone needs is a listening ear. In today’s fast-paced society running along at breakneck speed, taking time to listen to a friend or a loved one can be mighty important. Let’s talk about it. #alisteningear #listening #amwriting Click to Tweet
I think I mentioned the Dixie Paper Company’s commercial/public relations campaign a few weeks ago. The “Dark for Dinner” is now giving way to let’s have a family conversation and remember how it used to be over dinner. There’s also that Swanson Mac & Cheese commercial where the teenage girl puts her phone down and actually enjoys eating her dinner.
Personal connection is important. When did we become addicted to our cell phones? We seem to thirst for information and be at the beck-and-call of our text messages, our email, our Facebook pages, and other apps.
My hubby running Boston 1987
In the last couple of weeks, my husband has taken on a new young woman to mentor her in running. He’s a sensitive, caring man who listens. She’s been sharing things she might not tell many others, because he’s listening. He has a listening ear, and always has.
Several times, friends of mine have shared their life stories with me, or some of their most painful times, because I listened, and I cared. If you’re a churchgoer, back in the 70s-80s there was a movement called Lay Witness Mission. It’s where churches would invite, for a weekend, about 20 “lay” people from another area to come to their church and share their testimonies. I was a youth coordinator for several of those in the 80s when I was single, and also on adult teams after I was married.
On one particular excursion to the western part of the state, my husband and I stayed with an older couple. We found out later that the husband had been praying real hard for his wife. She had something she needed to share and get it out, about their son’s death. She was living her life in circles, better, then worse, better, then worse. In Christian circles, we call that “going around the mountain” — like the Israelites did in the desert before entering the Promised Land.
Somehow, just me being there, a caring and listening ear, she shared her feelings, her thoughts, her emotions. It was a wonderful time of healing for her. All because I listened.
Another time, I was on the phone with a friend and she told me her life story. It took four hours.
A listening ear can change someone’s life for the better. Click to Tweet It can be an eternal moment of your day—and theirs. #alisteningear #listening
What about you? Do you have a listening ear? Leave a comment and let me know.
Donna L.H. Smith 