swear to be sturdy and strong

Pres. Uchtdorf's conference talk keeps popping up in my life. (sidenote: i'm digging the church's new website.) i talked about it with my friend andrea last week, we discussed it for our relief society lesson on sunday, i listened to it on my ipod today. i guess there are some lessons i need to learn from it maybe.

one thing that stuck out to me is the story he tells about the lady who decides to be a good listener. i've thought about that a lot, in a lot of different ways - why are good listeners of such value in our lives? how can i be a better listener? have i been appreciative enough to the good listeners that i know?

i know that is a small part of the millions of wonderful things he has talked about, but i feel like that is an undervalued part of so many people's lives. i don't know why it is so important to have good listeners around us. i don't know why it is so meaningful to have someone listen to what you say. but i do know that it is - that every time i have a good conversation with someone, in which we both do the talking and the listening, i feel happier, more motivated, less burdened. i don't know what it is about sharing our problems/worries/concerns with others that helps lighten the load, but i do know that it works. so thanks to all of you who listen to me (even when i'm being a dork, or talking about basketball ad nauseum) and i'm going to try to be a better listener for all of you.

(quick shout out to andrea/spreading eagle. she is one of the few people i know who can rebuke me (rebuke? counsel? something) and not make me resentful, or want to go do the opposite of what was said just to be rebellious. and one of those friends you can go without seeing or talking to for months at a time and pick up right where you left off. too bad you live in oregon and not arizona.)