Listen With Our Hearts
He would arrive each morning at the pro shop I worked at. He would tell me stories about his wife, and I would listen. She was ill and in declining health and he was dealing with the loss of her companionship in the things they used to do together that she could no longer do. He spoke of his love and pride in his wife and their life together and then his grief when she was gone. After her passing he continued to arrive as usually and talk about her, and I continued to listen, not giving much thought what that might have meant to him. Then one day he reached across the counter and held my hands. He told me that he had been thinking of me, complimenting me on how I was with the customers of the pro shop and the way I interacted with him and others during the occasion round of golf that we played. I was deeply touched by his comments of which I only shared a few here and have treasured them all these years. This wonderful man taught me a life lesson I have never forgotten. To quietly listen with full attention to those who others have dismissed as of no interest and of little value. When someone tells us about their lives, we honour their stories by listening to them not with our heads but with our hearts. For we all have stories to tell and each of us needs someone to listen. Who will you listen to today? And what story will you tell? Picture taken and written by T.C
He would arrive each morning at the pro shop I worked at. He would tell me stories about his wife, and I would listen. She was ill and in declining health and he was dealing with the loss of her companionship in the things they used to do together that she could no longer do. He spoke of his love and pride in his wife and their life together and then his grief when she was gone. After her passing he continued to arrive as usually and talk about her, and I continued to listen, not giving much thought what that might have meant to him. Then one day he reached across the counter and held my hands. He told me that he had been thinking of me, complimenting me on how I was with the customers of the pro shop and the way I interacted with him and others during the occasion round of golf that we played. I was deeply touched by his comments of which I only shared a few here and have treasured them all these years. This wonderful man taught me a life lesson I have never forgotten. To quietly listen with full attention to those who others have dismissed as of no interest and of little value. When someone tells us about their lives, we honour their stories by listening to them not with our heads but with our hearts. For we all have stories to tell and each of us needs someone to listen. Who will you listen to today? And what story will you tell? Picture taken and written by T.C
121 Reads
- Posted by TC
- Nov 21, 2023
- Comments (6)
Readers Comments
Mish wrote: Truly, listening is a powerful, healing for someone ….being heard.
SissyLee wrote: Listening is a huge gift.
DANCE wrote: So important to listen...thank u for reminding us
pluto178 wrote: You would make a great barmaid lol………..they are wonderful for listening to problems and encouraging them to go home and resolve any issues they may have……..funny how we can end up in these situations thank you for listening. X
janfour wrote: i love working at the library because i can practice some attentive listening
mindyjourney wrote: it is a powerful action to listen with an open heart ❤️. Thank you for sharing this with us, dear TC.
