Listening  ](Anon.)

When I ask you to listen to me
and you give me advice ...
You are not listening
When I ask you to listen to me
and you tell me why I should not feel this way ...
You are negating my feelings
When I ask you to listen to me
and you tell me how I should solve my problems,
as strange as it may seem ... you fail me
Listen ... all I'm asking is that you listen.
Not justify my feelings for me
Not solve my problems for me
For I am not helpless; I can do for myself
I may be sad, discouraged, and faltering,
but I am not helpless!

When something is done for me that I can
and need to do for myself
it contributes to my fears and my weaknesses
However, when the fact that I do feel what I feel
is accepted as such - even if it's irrational -
I can then quit trying to convince you that my feelings are real
and get down to the business of understanding what's behind
them
And when that is clear, answers are obvious
and I can make sense of them and work through them
Irrational feelings are only irrational until
there is understanding about what is behind them
Perhaps that is why prayer works,
sometimes ... for some people ...
Because God is mute and does, not give advice
nor try to fix things ... just listens
and lets you work it out for yourself
So ... please, listen and just hear me
And if you want to talk,
wait a minute for your turn
and I will listen to you.