Listening

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It was an unexpected interweaving of lives.  
It wasn't chosen (at first) it unfolded because of the circumstances of a particular season of our lives.  

We shared commonalities.  Our daughters ages put them in the same class.  We are close in age.  We stood in the same life stage.
We were beginning again.

Before I knew it wasn't just about the commonalities that drew us together.  Conversations weren't merely about the jobs that we held, they held personal stories, questions of the world, and dissatisfaction about theological and political teachings.  Time together was held in beautiful embraces that sustained us in moments of challenging situations.  Birthday cakes were made to help pull off surprises. Cards were sent at times of sorrow and celebration. Hugs were given when only a moment could be spared. A deep understanding of my particular weekend schedule was held in honor as plans were made and meals were shared.  Laughter has bubbled up from the depths of our souls, and tears have dripped from our eyes as life transitions pressed up against us.  

It's the little things and the ways she listens that always surprise me the most.  For her listening isn't just an act of being face to face and hearing the words shared when you are in the room together or on the phone, it's the unspoken movements that she notices; the details that she understands.  

She listens to the way your pen flows across the paper.
She listens to the way you grab a small sweet treat to curb your sweet tooth after a meal.
She listens to the way you pour yourself out to others and offers to fill your soul back up. 

What began as an unexpected encounter,  became a listening with deep cords that bind us together.
It became a relationship of choosing over and over again.

I hope that you have an encounter that leads to an unexpected friendship.  One who will bring you chocolate from a far-off land just because. One who will seek out paper to gift you so that you can continue to let your pen flow across the page.  One who will send you cookies when you need a pick-me-up. One that will always no matter what time of the day will listen, listen with the intensity that moves you and fills you.  



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