Listen (Five Minute Friday)

Welcome to Five Minute Friday (which I mostly write on the next Thursday. It's life. Lisa-Jo is gracious to let us play a full week and then have grace to try to post on Friday next time. Sweet of her, isn't it?!

The rules are easy:
1. get the prompt &. write for 5 minutes flat, no edits, no re-writes. Just real. Throw it out there and move on.
2. Link up over here to share your writing
3. (the BEST part!) go to the post of the brave soul who linked before you, and leave a little encouragement for them. Join the community.

This week, we're writing on
LISTEN.

Listening is intentional. Stop, pause, focus. Give attention and process what is being said. Or not said. Sometimes listening is as much about what isn't put out there.

She says "Mama, I was having a good day" and then she stops, unsure of what to say next. When I am listening to her, I can say - tell me, what are you thinking. WHen I am only hearing her, I miss the pause. I miss the chance to draw her out of her shell. This day, I listened.

Tell me, sweetie ...

"OK! Then it turned great! We got to dance and i learned the YMCA and isn;t it funny? you make the letters with your arms. and we get to jump!"  there is glee in her eyes - in her voice. Because I listened, and asked her to really share. Not just the good day part, but the WHY was it good. The encouragement to go on because someone really listened to her.

I need to do this more. Might you, too?