Is Anyone Listening?

Do you ever wonder if you have any real friends, people who truly care about you? You know how you can tell who your real friends are? They’re the ones that listen to you.

 

Yesterday was the final game of the year for our Halo Baseball Club and it was awesome. We always play our final game in Angel Stadium against local MSBL teams for charity and even though I’ve played there many times before, I still get goose-bumps when I walk onto that field wearing an Angel’s uniform. The Scoreboard was lit up, the President and the Chairman of the Angels were playing on our team, there were “Former Angel Players” in the stands and there were even free hot dogs. What could be better than that!

 

I’ll tell you what’s better than that… all the solid friendships that we have formed in our club. It took me over twenty minutes to get from the Diamond Club down to the dugout just because I had to stop and shake so many hands and give bro-hugs to so many good friends. I had people ask me about my work, my family, my recent injuries, etc. and then stand there and actually listen and care about what I had to say. I saw it all over the field, ballplayers smiling, talking and most importantly, listening to each other. On the other hand, we have all met that one guy, you know the one who goes on about himself incessantly, trying to impress you with everything he has done and everyone he has met, talking the whole time about himself and never really listening in return. That is so sad because guys like that have no friends and the reason is simple, they don’t know how to be a friend. All you have to do to be a friend is care enough to listen.

 

In the third inning of the game I hit a ground ball and as I was crossing first base, I got hit in the face by an errant throw. It bloodied my mouth, gave me a fat lip and rattled my teeth, making it hard for me to talk for the rest of the game. Plus it didn’t help my looks any either, but it did help me in one way. Without being able to talk very well, I became an even better listener. Let’s face it we have two ears but only one mouth for a reason… we need to listen more than we need to talk.

 

If you’re a good listener then chances are you have a lot of friends. But if you don’t because you’re new to the area, recently divorced, suddenly laid off from your job or just feeling lonely or lost for any reason….remember that there is always one person who is willing to listen. He cares about everything we do and everything we say…and treasures every single word we utter like a precious jewel. God listens because He is our ultimate friend.

The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention.

                                                  ~ Thich Nhat Hanh                                                             

 




Halo Baseball Club 50+ Team at the "Bud Kuhl Invitational 2013"

Back Row - John Carpino, Bill Phelps, Chris Dunn, Jerry Hirsch, Carlos and Rick Pianelli, Bill Torres

Front Row - Dennis Kuhl, Greg Lund, Bob Houska, Scott Halperin, Joe Thrailkill, Tony Mauer, Danny Taylor