Working with homeless women in Seattle, I often encountered moments when there was nothing I could offer but a smile, a listening ear or a hug.. I couldn’t fix someone else’s life, but we could share a meal together, sing a song together, pray together. In those moments it was enough.
1 REPLY
Bernhard LentschNov 5, 2026
Dear Francyl Gawryn!
Thank you for your words - I feel that I understand every single one of them well.
I often feel the same way you described: someone is sitting across from me, describing profound experiences. I can’t just make those go away with a snap of my fingers.Sometimes it feels like I can't even make the slightest change. And it’s precisely THEN - when I stay there anyway, keep listening, perhaps listening to the silence together and enduring the pain together - that very act - even though I’d just felt like I couldn’t make a difference - sometimes means the world!
ORIGINAL COMMENT
1 REPLY
Thank you for your words - I feel that I understand every single one of them well.
I often feel the same way you described: someone is sitting across from me, describing profound experiences. I can’t just make those go away with a snap of my fingers.Sometimes it feels like I can't even make the slightest change. And it’s precisely THEN - when I stay there anyway, keep listening, perhaps listening to the silence together and enduring the pain together - that very act - even though I’d just felt like I couldn’t make a difference - sometimes means the world!
Thank you for your work!