Heavenletters

Oh, how much hardship will be blown away when we finally do this, listen. But, dear God, I have noticed that people tend to not listen when they don't hear, or don't want to hear, their own heart. This is not an objection, of course. But what comes first? Where there is strong bias, as in the examples You give, in most cases there will be no listening, no matter what. The strength of our bias appears to be the measure of our not wanting to hear our own heart. Are You saying, then, that we, readers of Your love letters, have grown courageous enough to listen to our own hearts and, therefore, to others? What a lovely implicit compliment that would be.

When it comes to family (in my case it's what we call "patchwork family" in Germany, where I am stepfather), I must say I'm still at a complete loss. How do you foster a willingness to listen in youngsters who don't even care for your listening to them? There has to be a need to be listened to and heard in them too, but it seems anesthetized to the point where they don't know about it any more and will respond with blank looks, or worse, to whatever suggestions you make. And with not wanting to feel, not wanting to speak, not wanting to hear comes a host of other unpleasant things, things of the most maddeningly monotonous everyday variety. After quite a few years of this, I still don't know how to move forward. It feels unbearable at times but seems to be something I want to learn. I count on Your inspiration.