Taking Time to Listen

I ended my trip to D. C. by taking a bus tour of our nation's most famous memorials.  My favorite was the one marking the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima, but the most emotional was the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.  This is a photo of the Wall with the Washington Monument in the distance.  The Wall is not illuminated night, but has only dim lights along the sidewalk.  You'll occasionally see flashes of light on the wall as people take photos of a precious name that is inscribed.

I stood watching as a Park Ranger helped one man from our very own group find his cousin's name.  After the Ranger walked away, this man just stood alone staring at the dark wall.  I had to turn away, but after a few minutes I walked over to him and quietly asked if he got the picture.  "Not yet," he said.  Then I asked if he wanted me to help him find the name again.  He agreed and together we spent the next few minutes located his cousin's name and getting a good photo with his phone.  We slowly walked back to the bus together and he told me about his cousin, his own enlistment and his service as a medic during the war.  His recollections gave real meaning to the experience of seeing the memorial.

Luke 2:46  Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.

Sometimes listening and asking questions are the very things you need to do to turn something special into something unforgettable.