listen

My family
parents,
brother,
sister,
children
former spouse...

They know how to love
because they have the
patience,
courage
and
compassion enough
to hear the whole story.

They have all proven
the ability to listen past the first sentence
and hear the whole novel that is our story.

We haven't done it
perfectly from year to year
but
we plug away
to do this for each other.

We have our quirks
and scandals
and brokenness,
SURE!

But in it all
we listen
past the first words
on past the next sentence
to the whole story.

We've done it...
we are currently doing it
and we will continue to do so.

This is how
I know what love is.

This is what I believe God does for us.