Acting As a Journalist

Today is Mother's Day and I called a dear friend who had been like a mother to me. This friend is tired of living, scared of dying, and angry with all who attempt to soothe her.For 89 minutes she spoke and I listened, but the message she was really imparting could have been covered in 5 minutes. She's angry with her God, but is afraid to say so.

When women speak, we tend to ramble; only in conversation to hear another, or our own voices with no real message or mission, and certainly no call to action.This is the issue with listening, and why I believe it is so important to encourage women to write their stories. To write a story, we must collect our thoughts and organize them. We then edit out all that is extraneous.

I have had many female friends with much wisdom to impart, but they spent most of our conversation time telling me their woes and the isuues others are facing. I learned to steer the conversations to what the women have achieved in their time on our earth, while I took notes.

It is amazing to me what a difference it made in our conversations. They had been taught not to boast, so they complain instead of telling their stories. When we make it about recounting their adventures and achievements the women are entirely different people.

My daughter critcizes me for "acting as a journalist," with all my questions. I honestly can't think of a better way to listen than to ask people about their best selves and then to record their answers. How else will we ever get a body of sacred scriptures as told by females?