Listening

In Dr. Paul Tournier’s book “The Strong and the Weak,” the story is told of a family with several children. The father had a problem with one of his daughters, a little girl who was very quiet, very shy, unable to express herself outwardly. The father was an outgoing person and most of the other children were too. And he was puzzled and bewildered and confused about this, but he tried to understand. On one occasion he gave his quiet little daughter a present. It was an elegant little glass elephant on a gold chain, to put around her neck. He put it down on the table in front of her and said, “I’ve brought you this present.” The little girl was overwhelmed! Her mouth dropped open and she stared at the beautiful present. As Dr. Tournier said, “It shone more beautifully than any star of Bethlehem because it symbolized her father’s love for her.” She sat there for several minutes, staring at this gift,…