This quote didn’t have the cursive part when I found it, I added that. I came across the first part and began thinking and wondering how many times I’ve asked someone how they’re doing, how their day is going…. and then painfully I wondered how many times I didn’t hear the answer because my mind was already drifting off to my to do list or where I was going next. Do you ever do that?

It’s kind of an automatic thing to ask how are you, like to the girl checking us out at the grocery store, or the man coming down the hall at church. We all do it. But how often do we pause long enough to hear what comes after that? Listening to the answer is as important as the question.

May we be the ones to ask – and then hit the pause button as we listen. May we take in other’s words and responses. May we hear what’s said between the “it’s all good” or “things are okay.” And may we smile when they’re able to truly say life is good because we heard WHY life is good. That few extra seconds or minutes may be the difference in someone’s day.