Healing, Listening, A Morning's Task

Healing, Listening, A Morning’s Task

“As healers we have to receive the story of our fellow human beings with a compassionate heart, a heart that does not judge or condemn but recognizes how the stranger’s story connects with our own…. Our most important question as healers is not, “What to say or to do?” but, “How to develop enough inner space where the story can be received?”

—Henri J. M. Nouwen

A Morning’s Task

He overflows, and I try to empty my self, making space,

opening to the geyser of his soul, 

him sharing, his story, his 

lifetime of pain, terror, loneliness,

now becoming words spoken,

feelings finally heard, honored

through his voice, my listening.

Listening, without judgement, without my views,

my biases, my edits, just

listening, letting him share his story,

and all its agonies, twists, and turns.

Him, finding his voice, now, sorting it out,

making some sense to it, seeing himself

the hero in this tale,

the good soul he really is

becoming.

An hour, then another, and into the third,

and he speaks on, now finding the words, 

and the order in the telling, seeing his life 

as his own story, of survival, achievement,

yes, even success and good coming from all that chaos and pain.

I listen, hard not to judge, not to be the commentator, 

just simply being there, ears and heart 

open

accepting, present in his life.

And, in that, a gift to him, 

in my humanity, my soul’s journey, Everyman’s

need for someone to listen, to hear 

for the very first time—

this becoming my gift to him, his first time

being heard, hearing his

truth.

—Neal Lemery, July, 2014