Listening with Katie Cheesman
Too often, their stories go unheard or are forgotten.
Those are Katie Cheesman’s words—and I believe she is right. Katie is talking about the elderly. People in our world who have the most life experience, the most wisdom and the most to say, but who are sadly and far too often NOT listened to. But Katie is doing something about this and what she is doing is called, The Listening Ear Project. I had the distinct pleasure of visiting with Katie to learn more.
Katie’s BIO: You won’t find someone who adores seniors like Katie does.
She fell in love with her elderly patients, their endearing humor, and their incredible stories while serving them as a home health care nurse.
Katie quit her job to focus on The Listening Ear Project: A labor of love where she visits with elderly people from all walks of life to film and share their stories, timeless advice, and the occasional bit of old-person humor.
Katie is a wife and a mom of two. She enjoys videography, reading, adventuring with her little family, and obsessing over clouds.
During our conversation Katie mentioned her interview with Bill, so I looked him up on her website and I found this photo and these thoughts recorded by Katie:
This is Bill. Bill is a hero.
He went without food for three days. He watched his best friend die in his arms. He was such an accurate sniper that he was asked to run alongside the colonel to protect him. He was captured by the Chinese and tortured for three days. He was part of the "Frozen Chosin" battle and fought in 30 below zero conditions.
He was in the Marine Corp during the Korean War. He earned a double Purple Heart and a Silver Star medal, along with several others. He experienced the brutality of war first hand, and openly talked about his PTSD with me. We cried together as he recited his poem titled "War is Hell." I have no words to describe the experience we shared and I left wanting to share Bill's story with the world.
I drove home in silence and tried to process everything this man had gone through. Suddenly, my often petty complaints seemed minuscule. In one hour, Bill had changed my entire perspective on life. It made me so grateful! Grateful for those who have sacrificed their lives for our freedoms. Grateful for those who have to continue living with the nightmares of war every day.
In this video Katie expresses a truth. Stories change us. She is accomplishing so much good by listening to and documenting personal stories for her clients—and their families, but she is changing her own heart in the process.
You may not be in a location or position to hire Katie, but you can learn from her—directly and by watching the incredible videos she creates—how to listen and how to approach your own loved ones with an invitation to share their stories.
I love that Katie has a portfolio on her site, so that you can view the quality of work that she does. She creates all kinds of stories. Life stories are her most popular effort, but she also highlights hobbies, family recipes, homes and more. Henry’s Hike is an example of these video shorts that capture so much of someone’s personality, interest and in this case, drive!
I opened today’s episode with words from Christine. I was so grateful to find Christine’s full story posted on The Listening Ear Project—especially now when I am striving to learn more about Black people with their personal and collective struggles for equality in our country. Imagine what we could be like as a nation if we slowed down long enough to truly see and listen to each other.
We would understand more deeply and show up in more supportive ways.
I hope you will take the time to visit Katie’s website, The Listening Ear Project or follow her on Facebook or Instagram @thelisteningearproject 👂🏽❤️
I’ve hired Katie to interview my mom and create a life story video for her. I will keep you posted and will for sure share more about this experience as it unfolds.
