communicate by listening

Over the weekend i tried to listen to people a lot more carefully; instead of just waiting for them to finish so i could say what i was thinking. I did it on two occasions and strengthened my relationships with those two people. They said they felt so good knowing that there was someone they could talk to. One of my best friends has been going through some personal stuff and he has never been an emotional person or one to talk about feelings and things. But when i was listening to him, he really opened up. I understand him much better and i know that he, and many others, appreciate people who listen and care about him and his feelings.