Omnium-Gatherum (Random Thoughts 7)

I love hearing stories of God's faithfulness. To be truthful, I need them. Human that I am, I tend to forget about His presence in my life whenever the storms arrive. And so I want to hear about people's stories. I breathe in their hopes and their belief. And breathe out my doubts and fears. Thank you for the stories, Lord.

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A battle rages in me each time I want to share my story. Would they listen? Would they understand? Would they even be interested in whatever I learned? Most of my life, I have been a listener. A good one, I think. In the office, we sometimes joke around that I have a psychiatrist's chair. Most people feel comfortable in telling me their stories. Maybe I know how to ask the right questions. Maybe I can give objective suggestions. Or maybe because I just let them talk.

Thus, I think I have forgotten to talk. I become conscious if they have become bored, if I am eating too much of their time, if I am monopolizing the conversation, and so on and so forth. Most of the time, I don't want to impose.

So most of the time, I remain quiet. Waiting for someone to ask me how I am. In a way, I think it has become my love language. I feel that someone cares about me if they ask me how I am. And if they listen. Really listen.

Maybe all of us are like this. Just waiting.

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I am now on the 834th of the 3,334 songs in my iPod. Let me change that. My brother's iPod. He was the one who left all those songs inside. Nope, I really haven't heard all those 834 songs. Because even though I have decided to listen to songs again, I still choose the kind that I want my soul to hear. Songs about love, longing, despair over a broken heart, confusion, and other such are okay. They are really part of our lives. But those that curse, malign, and disrespect other people and God get skipped over. I will not let my ears be polluted.

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I guess it will never disappear. Every time I hear a similar name, a tourist destination, a local delicacy, an international drink, a bilateral agreement, a country's nationality, etc. I will always remember. Each time.