I have often heard the expression, "Take the cotton out of your ears and put it in your mouth."

My first listening love is the sound of silence, then the sound of nature, then the sound of music. I like almost any kind of music, from classical to country. And I love listening to people who have something to say.

I can't help but notice today how many people are talking, but not saying anything. And they're not saying anything almost non-stop. They're not saying anything while driving, walking, waiting in line, shopping, coming from, going to, and in-between. I call it thinking out loud.

I'm grateful to have found a group of people who reveal themselves. They talk about struggle and improvement, self-pity and joy, resentment and peace. They talk about love of self and love of others. They don't all talk at once. They don't interrupt. They treat each other with respect and they talk face to face. They share their experience, strength and hope because they have learned that, "in order to get it, you have to give it away".

I trust communication is not becoming a lost art.