A few years ago I had the privilege of sitting in the company of several women whose ages at the time ranged from late twenties to late seventies.   While there were decades that separated us, we were connected by the sheer fact that we were all women.

            I can still remember that evening when we raised our glasses to ourselves; cheering ourselves on for just being us. We all had our own personal life stories that made us each unique, but the overwhelming connection we held between ourselves was nothing short of awesome.

            Since that wonderfully simple moment, the oldest of the group has died.   While she lived, she was filled with life and love. Even though I didn’t meet her until she had surpassed her promised age of three score and ten, we connected as if we had known each other my entire life.

            What I can so clearly remember from that evening back in December 2004 is that it doesn’t matter your age, nationality, personal beliefs or even education when you connect with someone. When this happens, it is something special that should be treasured.

            While some of us may not have ever experienced connecting with someone at some point in our lives, it doesn’t mean that it can never happen. In my life time I have met two human beings with whom I made such profound connections, one was from Africa and the other was from North America.

            The incredible thing about these “connections” is that they were both chance meetings and I have never seen nor heard from either person again, but I can remember the meetings as if they happened yesterday. And that is what will happen when you connect with someone on such a deep level.

            I often think back on these experiences and wonder if they were messengers sent at a time in my life when I needed to receive information to help me make some serious life choices.   Perhaps there are times when we need to have others interrupt our lives for only a moment to help steer us in the right direction.

            Of course, if we continue to keep ourselves shut off from possibilities we would not be able to recognize these “messengers” as they move in and out of our lives in a blink of the eye.   If we put up blinders thinking that all is as it should be, we will miss beautiful opportunities to understand aspects of our lives that can only be revealed to us by a transient being living in our space for a specific reason at a specific time.

            I can remember not being very willing to speak to the African man whom I met on an airplane about 19 years ago. However, once he started talking it was as if he and I had known each other for years.  We talked about a myriad of things during the three and one-half hour plane ride. And while I do not remember his name or what he looked like, I do remember how troubled he was about his relationship with his father.   By the end of that plane ride there was something I said that helped him realize that he had to take a step towards forgiving his father.

            When I think back to that conversation almost 20 years ago, I now realize that we can be messengers for others as they can be for us. In fact, we do not even know what effect we may have on another person, which is why how we react, what we say and what we do is so very important each day we interact with others.

            This week I challenge you to be aware of those around you, but more importantly, I invite you to take special care with what you say to others as well as how you react to them. While you may not think the things you say or do may have any effect on someone else that may not be the case at all.

            It is possible that you may connect with a very unlikely individual at sometime in your life.   When this happens, count yourself among the few who have been privileged enough to make such an incredible once in a lifetime connection.