By Katie Rea — spiritual director, writer, and companion for those listening deeply to life as it is.
We eagerly anticipate Triennial 2027 in Phoenix, Arizona, for The Order of the Daughters of the King.
Also, Wisdom Tree Collective will offer a new series on Active Listening. It feels like the right moment to return to a story that has stayed with me. It was so important.
It’s been two years since I attended the last Triennial gathering. One small exchange from that weekend still shapes my understanding of patience. It also influences my appreciation of the sacred art of truly listening.
I was serving as a greeter in the hotel lobby. It was lovely. I spent a four‑hour shift offering directions. (Though I admit this is not one of my strengths. I could get lost in a paper bag.) I also answered questions and welcomed women from all over Province IV. It was steady, joyful work. We had little exchanges of kindness as people hurried from one place to another or waited for the elevator.
At one point, I struck up a conversation with a woman waiting for the elevator with two of her friends. We were in the middle of a conversation when the elevator doors opened. Her friends motioned for her to hurry and join them. I expected her to do what everyone else had done and hurry off. That’s what I expected. It’s what I would have done. But I was pleasantly surprised. Instead, she gently waved them on.
Then she turned back to me, fully attentive. She wasn’t distracted. Not half‑listening. Not glancing over her shoulder. Or even distracted by the hubbub in the active lobby.
Her whole presence settled into the moment, as if nothing else required her attention. We finished our conversation unhurriedly. When she finally pressed the elevator button again, she thanked me as though I had offered her something meaningful.
I felt the need to apologize. “I didn’t mean to keep you from your friends. Thank you for taking the time to talk with me.”
She smiled. “Everyone is in such a hurry these days. This is the age we live in now. No one has time for anyone. I wanted to take the time. I’ll join them in a moment. It was lovely speaking with you.”
I stood there for a moment, surprised. Her words landed in me like a blessing.
I’ve spent years learning how to listen well. In my former work in healthcare, I completed several active‑listening training courses. These courses taught me how essential presence is in moments of vulnerability. Later, during my two‑year formation in Spiritual Direction, our cohort practiced listening more deeply. We held space for one another with attention and care.
Yet, in that brief encounter, it all hit me. She was an example of what it looks like to slow down, to choose presence over urgency, to honor the person in front of you with your full attention.
Active listening isn’t complicated, but it is costly. It asks us to pause. To resist the pull of hurry.
To believe that the moment we are in—and the person we are with—is worthy of our presence.
That stranger at the elevator didn’t just listen to me. She saw me. And in doing so, she reminded me that listening is one of the simplest and most powerful gifts we can offer one another.
A newsletter by Katie Rea.
More Information:
Wisdom Tree Collective a series on Active Listening.
Informational video about Triennial 2027.
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