Listening for Life
Cultivating the Courage to Connect
Patricia Taylor Johnson
Have you ever experienced the joy of being truly listened to? Do you remember being able to speak a thought without interruption or judging comment? Do you recall looking into another person’s eyes while talking and seeing interest or empathy?
This is a precious gift that we can give one another by investing our full attention without allowing distracting thoughts or interruptions to interfere. Can you imagine creating a silent space for another person without feeling like you have to fill it? What would it be like to simply be present for another person and not feel the compulsion to say anything especially in a moment of trauma?
Listening for Life: Cultivating the Courage to Connect will give you examples of how to listen when others have something to share. These stories were taken from my chaplaincy experiences over the past fifteen years. You can be a silent observer as you listen in on the conversation. You will then have access to some of my own thoughts, and finally, you will be encouraged to think about your own responses to perhaps a similar interaction in your own life. How might you improve upon your response so that the other person feels heard and cared for?
What our world needs right now is the ability to listen to others without judgement or unsolicited opinion. You can be an active participant in this endeavor by giving serious thought to how you might better listen to others!
About Pat Johnson
Pat is a board-certified chaplain (APC) with over fifteen years of combined hospital and hospice experience. She is also a Spiritual Director, commissioned by the Jesuits after receiving two years of training with an emphasis on the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises.
Her background includes an advanced degree in counseling and theology from Fuller Theological Seminary with several year’s experience as a therapist in California and Michigan.
In 2019, she raised funds to publish her first book entitled For the Love of Blankets: Sharing with Those who are Vulnerable. The purpose of this publication was to give free copies of the book to individuals and groups who create blankets for hospital patients as a way to say, "thank you." This is an ongoing project.
This book, entitled Listening for Life: Cultivating the Courage to Connect is based on her own chaplaincy experiences, where she highlights the value of listening and then encourages readers to consider how they might better listen to others, themselves and God.
Pat and her husband, Don, have two adult sons, a son-in-law and granddaughter and share their home with a rescue Bichon, Sidney. Her hobbies include reading, knitting and gardening.
What People Are Saying About This Book…
“Writing from the authentic perspective of a veteran healthcare chaplain, Pat Johnson unites with her readers as she demonstrates the art of basic human connection through listening. Accentuated with illustrations from her ministry, the author's approach invites us on a journey that is as introspective for her as it is other-focused on those for whom she has cared. Johnson infuses a wholly accessible spirituality throughout even as she induces our similar reflection in a meditative muse for faith seekers of all types.”
William Foster
VP of Spiritual Care - Trinity Health
“An inside look at chaplaincy, the value of presence and how often showing up is the greatest gift we have to offer. A very readable how-to that touches both the heart and funny bone.”
Nancy Sparrow
Therapist & Spiritual Director
“Pat Johnson has redefined what it means to listen. Her fifteen years as a hospital and hospice chaplain have brought an awareness, understanding, and sensitivity to a way of being that most of us are thirsting for - to be heard, to be listened to, with kindness...something we need more than ever in the midst of the pandemic. Pat draws back the curtain of this most important life skill and touches our hearts in the process.”
Micky Golden Moore
Chaplain and author of Tails Beyond the Pawprint: Twenty-Two Stories of Love, Loss, and Lessons Learned from our Adored Animal Companions.
“Pat Johnson starts with stories from her work as a chaplain, draws us into the wonder, awe and grace she experiences, and then offers ways to reflect on our own spiritual journeys. A gifted storyteller, she weaves together the world of the hospital and the world of the spirit, drawing us into God's presence through her own experiences, and with the questions she poses to us.This book can be read all at once, or you can savor each section, using it for reflection, journaling and prayer. The author's experiences mirror our experiences of fear and worry, connection and faith. and she leads us reliably toward God with her writing.”
Mary Austin
Author of Ashes at the Coffee Shop, Resurrection at the Bus Stop, Senior Pastor, Gaithersburg Presbyterian Church