Listen!

Does it seem like sometimes your mother gives you a life lesson without even asking for it, or without really trying to give a lesson...?
Well my mother did that recently..
It was the night of the Grammys and she calls me saying, "Did you see Maxwell's performance or Beyonce almost falling?" I laughed and said yes Mom and then we talked about the Grammys for about 40 mins. Then I asked her why she was watching the Grammys when she was suppose to be at work. She proceeds to tell me how she went to go check on a patient who was in the hospital on a sucide watch. She said she sat and talked to him and watched the Grammys for about 2 hours. She said he was so tired of the other nurses that came in to check on him, because they made him feel like he was crazy and was judging him every time they came in. He told my mother she was the first nurse to just come in, sit and listen. My mother then told me, "Janee, sometimes people just need someone to listen to, without any judging or opinions."

See... my mother had no idea how much just saying that impacted my life, because sometimes I find myself expressing my feelings about stuff to my friends when really thats not what they need at the time, because most times, friends just need someone to listen to. Because they have everyone else already judging them, adding someone else who they call a friend will just make them feel worse. Im not saying your not suppose to tell your friends the truth, but there is a time and place for everything, but when your friend is clearly hurt, making the situation worse is not going to make them feel better! There are alternative ways to get through to a friend, but trying to hit them when they are already down is no good!
Just a thought =)