And then, the story ended. I was caught off guard and jolted back into the moment. My new friend was looking at me expectantly and I was able to remember a few details of the story – possibly enough to cover for my wandering mind. But I missed a crucial part: I had no idea how the story ended. I didn’t know whether to express sadness or relief at her story and I admit with shame that I didn’t even listen carefully enough to know if her sister was still alive.

Listening is an art, and I’m convinced that there are few people who know how to do it well. Put me in the category of those who don’t, but make a note by my name: she’s working on it. There are people in my life who listen well, and I am drawn to them. They always stay with the story. They listen with their eyes and their heart. They care about what I’m saying because they care about me. And they never miss the ending. I’m still learning lessons about how to be one of these people. I constantly have to remind myself that every person matters, and they deserve my attention when sharing their stories.

If you are holding this magazine in your hands or reading it from our website, you have joined the Mia community. And in this community we strive not only to tell our stories well, but to listen well to the stories of others. We’re always looking for more ways to do this, so in early January 2012 we will be launching our new website. The site will give you more opportunities to tell and listen. Join us on Facebook or Twitter (we believe these are also
storytelling venues!) to get the latest on the launch of our new website. We still believe that our print magazine is a beautiful way to engage in storytelling since you are able to hold the magazine in your hands and turn the pages. But the
website will give us another place to share your stories. And there will be more ways for our readers to engage and listen – all the way to the end of the story.