
The Value of Empathic Listening
My Story of Helping on a Snowy Day: I vividly remember one winter day in Illinois, when I was 9 years old. There was about 12 inches of snow accumulated outside from a storm the night before. Having grown up in Illinois almost all my life, snow was nothing surprising…what was surprising was when my Mom told me and my older brother that we were all going to go shovel the driveway of some elderly friends. I wish I could say my immediate reaction was agreeable, but I admit my reaction was more like that of dismay. I mean, what kid wants to go shovel snow on a Saturday?! We all packed into the car with our shovels and headed over to our friends’ house (which meant we had to…