Listen

This world is full of noise. Voices. Music. Sirens. Sounds. The hardest thing to do sometimes is listen. I implore you my loves, please listen.

Listen when your grandma tells you a story about when she was eight, or when she asks you to stay a few minutes more. Listen and tuck it deep in your heart because it can stay there forever and ever but she won’t, and you’ll miss her voice and stories terribly.

 Listen to the summer bugs in the trees holding on tight to August, and the snow falling deep in winter, and the rain falling in the spring. Every season has a beautiful gift for our ears but we can easily miss it if we are hurrying, or yearning for a different season, or grumpy.

Listen to the story of the stranger, the one you assumed you knew all about. Don’t wince when the story gets painful, only nod and offer an encouraging, gentle smile. Listen carefully in order to know their heart, people are hurting and want to be heard.

Listen for what your children are saying when they have something to tell you. They often won’t come right out with where the ache is, or the worry. We are equipped as mothers to hear past the words into the pain, listen so closely for it and then assure them however you can.