Good Morning,
I found my way to my desk after a long night without sleep and it is a pleasure to be sipping on a hot cup of Door County Spicy Nutcracker Coffee. Where that sleepless night came from, I will never know. A pot of potato soup is in the crockpot simmering. So something good at least came from the sleepless night.
Today as I prepare my heart for Christmas I want to devote some time to talk about listening to others when they speak. We need to all concentrate on listening. This is harder to do, especially with our close loved ones, especially spouses. After being married for 1000 years like us, we believe that we can actually finish a sentence for our dear husband or wife. We chalk it up to being together for so long, a closeness of love. my friends, that is a pile of horse poop. We actually are being rude when we do that. We are basically shutting them down mid sentence, even if it is in our minds and we claim to know just what they are going to say.
My wife is not a person of a lot of words. The other day I asked her how she was doing. She has recently lost a brother and the funeral is coming up. Her mom has been ill and I know that is on her mind. But what I really expected her to say and had already set my mind to what I thought her response would be, was a total surprise. I thought she would say "OK" but instead she really wanted to talk for awhile and share her feelings. My mind had already programed itself to an OK answer and I was really ready to move on to my next project. Instead I sat down and listened. Here fears and concerns were some things I would never have anticipated. Her feelings were different than what I thought they would be. I had to check my rudeness and really sit and listen.
5. Listen. Practice the art of truly listening to others as you gather with family and friends. Whether you’re having dinner, opening presents, or sitting around and catching up with those you haven’t seen in a while, pay attention to what is said instead of thinking about how you will respond. Truly listening is one of the best ways to show your loved ones that you care.
Proverbs 18:13 If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.
Give the gift of listening. You might find that life is better and more interesting. Drop the rudeness.
As promised I have added a photo on one more Christmas decoration that my wife does annually.
This is a photo of her Christmas Village that I really think she would like to keep up all year round,
Many more photos to come!
Marty
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