Just listening

When we think about our lives, we remember all the fascinating things we've done and seen, places we've been, adventures we've had. If we just bear in mind the people we meet have just as many memories and wonderful tales to tell if someone is interested enough to listen.
I learned so much about my little home town as a kid by simply visiting and talking with the old people around town. Many of them had lived their entire lives there, and their stories were never written down. Now they're lost forever except what little I remember now and then.
In the large scheme of things, none of that would have made it into the history books, but history books deal with the big, world changing events. Most of what I knew shaped a town, and that shaped the people growing up there, ultimately shaping all that those people touched as they passed through life.
Ripples. Everyone's life creates ripples in tomorrow, some big and some small, and everyone has their stories to tell.