{"id":2591,"date":"2017-07-16T22:00:53","date_gmt":"2017-07-17T03:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nearariver.com\/?p=2591"},"modified":"2026-09-10T11:23:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T15:23:10","slug":"closer-to-those-you-love-near-river-bj-rae-eagle-encouraging-words","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bobbiejrae.com\/nearariver\/closer-to-those-you-love-near-river-bj-rae-eagle-encouraging-words\/","title":{"rendered":"Be Closer to Those You Love!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><em>A simple way to be closer to those you care about.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5475 size-medium\" title=\"Encouraging you to be closer to those you love on near a river.\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bobbiejrae.com\/nearariver\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/be-closer-with-those-you-love-300x294.jpg\" alt=\"Encouraging you to closer to those you love on near a river.\" width=\"300\" height=\"294\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bobbiejrae.com\/nearariver\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/be-closer-with-those-you-love-300x294.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bobbiejrae.com\/nearariver\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/be-closer-with-those-you-love.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Listening is a great way to be closer to those you love.\u00a0 Listening closely strengthens relationships.<\/p>\n<p>Here are four things I do to increase the effectiveness of my listening and be closer to those I love.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h4>Ask \u201cHow are you?\u201d and mean it.<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>When I ask this important question, I say the words slowly.\u00a0 I pay attention to the other person\u2019s face as I say these words to prepare to truly listen to the answer.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h4>Ask follow up questions.<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I ask open-ended follow-up questions.<\/p>\n<p>Last week my husband had carpal tunnel release surgery.\u00a0 Every morning when we wake up I ask him how his hand is feeling.\u00a0 This morning he said it felt fine.\u00a0 I asked him, \u201cWhat can you do today with your left hand that you could not do before the surgery?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Follow-up questions show that I value what how he feels and thinks.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h4>Ask \u201cWhat do you mean by that?\u201d<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I deepen our conversations with this question.\u00a0 This question invites my husband to expand his thinking and take up more space in our relationship.\u00a0 This is one of the greatest gifts we can give in relationships.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h4>Ask \u201cWhat do you think?\u201d<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>When I am explaining something, I stop and ask him what he thinks.\u00a0 Sometimes when I explain things, I dominate the conversation and I do not want to do that.\u00a0 Dominating the conversation violates relationship boundaries.\u00a0 When I ask this question, I am maintaining equality and respect in our conversation and in our relationship.<\/p>\n<p>***<\/p>\n<p>When we connect with someone, we deepen our relationship.\u00a0 Listening is the best way to connect with our partners or children or anyone else.<\/p>\n<p>Truly listen to those you love and have more meaningful relationships.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\">Let the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dictionary.cambridge.org\/us\/dictionary\/english\/encouraging\" slimstat=\"5\">encouraging words<\/a>\u00a0in these\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dictionary.cambridge.org\/us\/dictionary\/english\/river\" slimstat=\"5\">near\u00a0a\u00a0river<\/a>\u00a0posts help you<\/h4>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\">soar like an\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dictionary.cambridge.org\/us\/dictionary\/english\/eagle\" slimstat=\"5\">eagle<\/a>\u00a0above life\u2019s storms.<\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\">Need a hug?<\/h4>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bobbiejrae.com\/nearariver\/category\/power-love-near-river-bj-rae\/\">Love is very powerful!<\/a><\/h4>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bobbiejrae.com\/nearariver\/listen-more-than-talk-successful-relationships-bj-rae-near-a-river-eagle\/\">Want successful relationships?<\/a><\/h4>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bobbiejrae.com\/nearariver\/special-bj-rae-bald-eagle-near-a-river-encouraging-words-for-kids\/\">Love life and yourself&#8230;every day&#8230;<\/a><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\">If you enjoyed this post, remember that BJ writes\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.dictionary.com\/browse\/children\" data-slimstat=\"5\">children\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.dictionary.com\/browse\/book\" data-slimstat=\"5\">books<\/a>.<\/h4>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\">Her\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dictionary.cambridge.org\/us\/dictionary\/english\/encouraging\" slimstat=\"5\">encouraging<\/a>\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.dictionary.com\/browse\/children\" data-slimstat=\"5\">children\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dictionary.cambridge.org\/us\/dictionary\/english\/eagle\" slimstat=\"5\">eagle<\/a><\/h4>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><u><\/u><u><a href=\"https:\/\/dictionary.cambridge.org\/us\/dictionary\/english\/river\" slimstat=\"5\">near\u00a0a\u00a0river<\/a><\/u>\u00a0common core\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.collinsdictionary.com\/dictionary\/english\/reading-book\" data-slimstat=\"5\">reading book<\/a><\/h4>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\">is available on\u00a0Amazon.com\u00a0and\u00a0Barnesandnoble.com.<\/h4>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\">Buy BJ\u2019s\u00a0<u><\/u><u><a href=\"https:\/\/dictionary.cambridge.org\/us\/dictionary\/english\/river\" slimstat=\"5\">near\u00a0a\u00a0river<\/a><\/u>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dictionary.cambridge.org\/us\/dictionary\/english\/encouraging\" slimstat=\"5\">encouraging\u00a0<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/dictionary.cambridge.org\/us\/dictionary\/english\/eagle\" slimstat=\"5\">eagle\u00a0<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.collinsdictionary.com\/dictionary\/english\/reading-book\" data-slimstat=\"5\">reading book<\/a><\/h4>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\">for a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dictionary.cambridge.org\/us\/dictionary\/english\/child\" slimstat=\"5\">child<\/a>\u00a0you care about today!<\/h4>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A simple way to be closer to those you care about. Listening is a great way to be closer to those you love.\u00a0 Listening closely strengthens relationships. Here are four things I do to increase the effectiveness of my listening <a href=\"https:\/\/bobbiejrae.com\/nearariver\/closer-to-those-you-love-near-river-bj-rae-eagle-encouraging-words\/\"> Read more&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[383,2,137,487],"tags":[1588,482,77,1271,1269,1328,1334,1270,1329,1337,588,1332,34,1321,12,1331,1330,1320,1273,1322,1302,1274,1323,1325,1326,1324,19,1275,1319,1318,716,1327,1336,1335,1268,589,49,1333,462,297,216,1299],"class_list":["post-2591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-power-love-near-river-bj-rae","category-articles","category-live-happy","category-communicate-effectively-near-river-bj-rae-eagle","tag-common-core-eagle-reading-book","tag-active-listening","tag-bj-rae","tag-books-for-children","tag-books-for-kids","tag-child-eagle-reading-book","tag-childrens-book","tag-childrens-books","tag-childrens-eagle-reading-book","tag-childrens-reading-book","tag-closer","tag-common-core-reading-book","tag-communication","tag-core-reading-book","tag-eagle","tag-eagle-book-for-child","tag-eagle-child-book","tag-eagle-children-book","tag-eagle-childrens-book","tag-eagle-core-reading-book","tag-eagle-kid-book","tag-eagle-kids-book","tag-eagle-reading-book","tag-eagle-reading-book-for-child","tag-eagle-reading-book-for-children","tag-eagle-reading-book-for-kids","tag-encouragement","tag-encouraging","tag-encouraging-childrens-book","tag-encouraging-kids-book","tag-encouraging-words","tag-kid-eagle-reading-book","tag-kid-reading-book","tag-kids-book","tag-kids-books","tag-listening","tag-love","tag-reading-book","tag-relationship","tag-soar-like-an-eagle","tag-soar-like-eagle","tag-words-of-encouragement"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bobbiejrae.com\/nearariver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bobbiejrae.com\/nearariver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bobbiejrae.com\/nearariver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bobbiejrae.com\/nearariver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bobbiejrae.com\/nearariver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2591"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/bobbiejrae.com\/nearariver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2591\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21301,"href":"https:\/\/bobbiejrae.com\/nearariver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2591\/revisions\/21301"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bobbiejrae.com\/nearariver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bobbiejrae.com\/nearariver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bobbiejrae.com\/nearariver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}