During the twenty-two years I wrote the "An Extraordinary Life" feature, I heard hundreds of inspirational stories about the extraordinary way ordinary people lived their lives before they died.
And because I was listening to people who, in many cases, were still grieving, I allotted plenty of time for them to talk.
I remember once such instance when a very young man had died of cancer. His family sat around the conference room table with me, sharing photos and one story after another about the brave was he faced and tackled his cancer.
As the family prepared to leave, one member said, "This was better than the therapy we're paying for."
And yet, all I did was listen and take notes.
Even more years ago - when I was in college - I became a Big Sister to an eight-year-old, the youngest in a family of five children.
This little girl had a habit of eating very slowly, not a bad habit, right? But if the family were eating at a fast food restaurant, they often either packed up the rest of her meal or divided it among her siblings so the food could get eaten and they could get going.
So for our first "sister" date," we had dinner at a sit-down, family-style restaurant, her first experience t such a venue. I let her order what she wanted and let her take all the time she needed to finish. She ate A LOT of food, which surprised her mother.
I share a July 15 birthday with my granddaughter Riley. Rebekah and I had made plans to take her to Fox Valley Mall for the day. I wasn't feeling very well. But that turned out to be a good thing.
If I had been feeling well, we would have spent the day honoring a triple set of interests: Riley's, Rebekah's, and mine.
Instead, we let Riley follow hers for the, and I captured her experiences with my camera phone.
So what's the moral of this story today?
Many children can't enjoy an experience at their own pace.
Many adults never get a captive audience for their words.
Giving another person your undivided time and attention might really be the best gift of all.
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