How Are You?

    One of the joys (and burdens) of my work as a counselor is that I get to have conversations with people. "How are you?" can bring out a simple log of mundane activities or a heartfelt, "where do I begin?" that leads deep into that person's and my own listening heart.
    Benedict of Nursia, yes the saint, told his followers in The Rule to "listen with the ears of your heart," a wonderful invitation. How loved do I feel when I get it that someone has really heard me? Very much, obviously. Imagine a world where really being heard was not unusual!
    In a recent conversation with one of Benedict's followers, he recounted the story of an ex-con speaking at a fundraising dinner for two "Dismas Houses," places where released inmates could live and transition back into the community. The man asked the supporters to imagine what it meant to be greeted with a handshake or looked at like a human being and not as a threat or as prey.
    We are starved for close connection in our world. That ex-prisoner is each of us, making our way back from the things that shackle us or keep us separated from the rest of the world or from our own deep selves. To be listened to and really heard is an experience of grace and a glimpse of a world where all can be well.
    Make a difference today. Listen to someone. Or, just as importantly, be listened to. Both things are bread for hungry hearts.