Why stranger compassion?

In my own experiences, and as a hospice volunteer, I learned the importance of the role of the stranger to a person undergoing illness, grief, and perhaps life's most important journey. There is something about the empathy of a stranger that allows a person to speak freely of their hopes and fears, failures and dreams, which they may feel unable to share with family members. The compassionate stranger offers a nonjudgmental presence, and, having no history with the patient, there is a freedom to share the deepest parts of one's self. I like the Benedictine description of how to listen: "Listen with the ear of your heart."