Empathy

My neighbor Jill is going through a tough year, her husband died last summer of throat cancer therefor  I have a lot of empathy for her.  I'm trying to help her with her emotional pain.  Her daughter is handicapped and her son is in trouble with the law constantly.  People think she's a bitter women until you get to know her.  I think the best therapy is to just let people open up and talk.  It must be terrible to fake who you really are.  In todays busy society everyone is so wrapped up in their own lives, people like Jill get forgotten about, I feel I get more emotionally close to people the older I get.  Depression or an illness can cause people to have the wrong perception about themselves.  Bad things do happen in the world to loved ones and friends.  Empathy plays a huge role in how they will heal and open up, I believe that one of my strengths is trying to put myself in another persons shoes,  it gives me a better understanding of their needs. Empathy is a great quality to help people in their journey toward happiness.