Listening

Good morning, God, and thank you for giving me this new day, as well as the hours and days that I've had since the last time I said thanks. Spring is on its way and the days are warming up, and we're all looking forward to the better weather, the long walks, the sunshine and the warmth.  The changing seasons certainly are an amazing blessing, as they keep us looking forward in anticipation, and they give us something different to feel and to appreciate and to cherish each day.

It's also almost spring break, which will be a very nice week of resting and recovering from what has been quite a long year so far.  Not a terrible year by any means, but a very long year nonetheless.  I look forward to relaxing a bit and enjoying the down time.

In our speech class right now, we're discussing listening and its importance in our lives.  Sometimes I feel like the worst listener in the world though, and I know that I don't listen to you or for your voice nearly enough.  The day gets going and I get caught up in it, and I don't take advantage of the slow times to listen for your messages to me that could help me to deal with certain situations in different and better ways.  If I could ask for anything from you, it would be help in listening, and in recognizing those times when it's important for me to listen and not necessarily to speak.  I need to hear more than I say, but usually because I get caught up in the teacher side of who I am, I end up speaking much more than I listen.

I'll try to develop some strategies to remind me to listen, but I'd also like to ask for your help with reminders, preferably gentle ones. . . .