HOW often do you talk about the things that really matter to you?

When preparing to take the funeral of an elderly gentleman in a former parish - a regular churchgoer and committed Christian - I referred to how much his faith meant to him. "Did it?" his daughter commented. "He never said much about it."

Nowadays, there are so many ways to communicate - e-mail and voicemail, text messages and faxes . . . not to mention old-fashioned correspondence and conversation. But they've all failed if we don't communicate with those closest to us about what really matters.

So this week, why not make the time and opportunity to share with someone else what's on your heart? And if someone is struggling to say something significant to you or me - let's make sure we really listen.

REVEREND DR MARY BARR, Great Malvern Priory.