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The gift we give each other here is that of listening.

Listening is not approval, not “Yes” or “No,” or “Right” or “Wrong.”

Listening is not advice, not giving solutions or making corrections.

Listening is not taking action, fixing problems or choosing for another.

Even when we are wrong or distraught, the best gift we give each other is to listen.

To listen is to accept, to say, “Thanks for being real and sharing it”; this frees us to really be.

To listen is to affirm the existence of another; true solutions come only to those who accept existence without solutions.

To listen is to be there while another grows; growing happens best in the presence of a friend.

The gift we give each other here is that of listening.