A few years ago my young friend Maggie invited me to go with her to Quarton School for Friend’s Day. She showed me around her classroom and the other rooms in her school. We went to the library and joined her second grade classmates as they sat on the floor and listened to the librarian.
She held up a small journal and told them to carry one with them all the time. “Everyone has a story to tell,” she said. “It’s important to write down your stories, to keep a record so that you will remember and then be able to share your stories with others someday.”
Everyone has a story to tell. In our fast paced, almost out of breath days, it can be hard to slow down and just listen to those around us. Fred Rogers said, “The purpose of life is to listen – to yourself, to your neighbor, to your world, and to God and, when the time comes, to respond in as helpful a way as you can find – from within and without.”
We can begin by asking ourselves at the end of a day, “Who have I listened to today? What did I hear?” We can ask God to help us slow down, to be receptive to others, to hear their stories. We can expect God to tap us on the shoulder and say, “Listen.”
Prayer: Dear God, put wonder in our hearts so we don’t miss opportunities to listen and care for others. Amen.
Jane Haggerty
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