People came to her frequently...
Illustration
People came to her frequently for advice, sometimes commenting on her reputation for wisdom. She did not feel the reputation was deserved. She did not feel that she was any wiser than most people; but, she was a good listener. She often heard what people said beyond the words they used and was able to put herself in their shoes, to understand -- sometimes better than the speakers themselves -- the brokenness that caused them to bare their hearts to her.
How often had a visitor said, "I had no intention of going into such detail when I came in here," or "I had no idea I felt so strongly about all of this; but it seemed safe to spill it all out with you." Listening and empathy, these were the gifts she had to offer, not wisdom; listening and empathy thawed the ice imprisoning frozen hearts. But wisdom emerged in the process, from the visitors themselves as they reconnected with aspects of their being that fear, prejudice, low self-esteem, judgmentalism or some other sociocultural demand had caused them to set apart, becoming less than whole.
She didn't see herself as wise at all. But she could listen and she could empathize because she had made peace with the tattered edges of her own life as she had come to understand the message God sent to humankind through Jesus Christ: that God loves us just as we are.
- Fannin
How often had a visitor said, "I had no intention of going into such detail when I came in here," or "I had no idea I felt so strongly about all of this; but it seemed safe to spill it all out with you." Listening and empathy, these were the gifts she had to offer, not wisdom; listening and empathy thawed the ice imprisoning frozen hearts. But wisdom emerged in the process, from the visitors themselves as they reconnected with aspects of their being that fear, prejudice, low self-esteem, judgmentalism or some other sociocultural demand had caused them to set apart, becoming less than whole.
She didn't see herself as wise at all. But she could listen and she could empathize because she had made peace with the tattered edges of her own life as she had come to understand the message God sent to humankind through Jesus Christ: that God loves us just as we are.
- Fannin
