Listening

Big day for my daughter Jasmine. She has been rolling over from her back to tummy, and is now wiggling and shuffling. Watching her attempts to crawl with the butt high up is an absolute wonder. It's the answer to anyone who wonders if they'd go straight home after work. My wife and I celebrated by giving her a big hug.

My wife was talking about the fascinating baby shuffles and wiggles when I was reading Mitch Albom's Having a Little Faith. I nodded but, oh, she knew my eyes remained fixed on the book. Oops, I made a funny face sheepishly, as what a naught kid did when he was caught red-handed.

Although trivial by any measure, this is a lesson for us who want to do anything more than listening to our wives.

This led me to a story from Mitch Albom's book. A little girl endeavored to show her mom the drawing she'd made in class. Her mother was too busy in the kitchen when the girl waved her drawing repeatedly.
"Mom, guess what?"
"What?" the mother said, tending to the pots.
"Guess what?"
"What?" the mother answered, tending to the plates.
"Mom, you're not listening."
"Sweetie, yes I am."
"Mom," the child said, "you're not listening with your eyes."

I tried to remember the last time I'd listened with my eyes. Or if I'd ever done that.