To listen. It seems simple enough, yet we all know it’s far more challenging than the instruction implies. Any parent can testify to the difficulty of getting a child to listen. At the same time, many of us recognize how hard it can be to listen wholeheartedly to our own children amid the constant demands of daily life—not to mention our own very real needs and responsibilities. There is great value in learning the art of listening. A compassionate listener is treasured by fr