Today I would like to stress the importance of listening.  No not to the news or the chatter of our neighbors.  To voices much more important.  We need to listen to the little voices that will be judging our legacy and telling future generations who we were.

This came to mind last night when my ten year old grandson Christopher knocked on my door.  I was in the middle of writing and I don’t care to be disturbed.  But then he’s my grandson and at ten years old the world has a different perspective when an old guy takes time to listen.

He started out with looking at my Montreal Canadian sport pictures and made his way to a small native drum someone gave me.  He stared at the color picture of a vintage old car a Duesenberg.  We talked about how his dad was a Canucks fan and why I still cheered for the Habs.  I told him what loyalty was all about.  I grew up a Habs fan and cheered for them for more than sixty seven years.  He grew up along with his dad as a Canucks fan and both of us were right in doing so.

He really wanted to know was who were the people in the family picture frames scattered about the room. I explained starting with my dad and going back showing the same people who are pictured in younger and older versions of themselves.  It was more than that though.  He wanted to know them.  Who they were, what they thought, how they earned their way through life.  It was like talking to a human sponge.   He soaked it all in and questions from a ten year old can be direct.  It is more difficult with him because he is only ten but with the gift of a complete photographic memory.

As we went from photo to photo and relationship to relationship, he put the pieces together and understood his place in line as it were.

During the course of our discussion it struck me.  I was once that young inquisitive voice asking the question as to where I fit in to the family.  As I told their story I realized I was passing judgment as to who they were and the time in which they lived.

When we were done he said thank you.  Since Grandma passed away I thought I would like to know more.

It is one of the best hours of listening and telling a story, I have experienced.

Grandma and Grandpa, take the time to listen and inform the future voices of tomorrow.  Tell the story well, you will also be part of their judgment.

Fred Steele