As today is Thursday, I have been trying to write my good things post for an hour or more. I even have a list of topics for the weeks when the creative well is less than full. Good Things Thursday is a new idea, but I think it is a good one. So, no abandoning the fledgling - must make it fly. And yet...
... Here I sit.
Tonight I don't want to tell you about magic erasers, or book darts, or the best brand of starch and how to iron a shirt perfectly. I want to throw open the shutters of my heart and let you have a peek inside. ... Hmm
... And then it hits me. I'll write about the good things filling up my heart tonight. What to call it? Connections. The good things on my mind tonight are connections. I am talking specifically about the way we can connect through this amazing blogosphere.
I made a friend this week. A real friend. Some people, mostly non-bloggers, might argue that you can't be friends with someone you haven't met. I bet those poor souls never knew the childhood joy of a pen pal. There are those who insist that you can't become real friends in just a few days. They would be wrong about that, too. There are people that you just know. Something about their spirit, their smile, their favorite quotes... just something... and you know them. I think it is your heart, recognizing theirs.
One long, true look inside. There.
It's you. I didn't know it, but I've been looking for you.
- and you've found a friend.
- and you've found a friend.
Anne of Green Gables calls these friends, kindred spirits. I like that. More than a friend. A close connection, forged not by proximity or circumstance, but by connection. There's that word again.
Connections.
And that's the good thing I offer you tonight; the urging to connect. I think of George Emerson in A Room With a View (book by E. M. Forster, movie by Merchant Ivory) perched in the top of a tree yelling, "Only connect!" He was right.
Connect. This little blog world we are in seems to me to be all about connections. When I first began reading blogs I would find posts and people I enjoyed, but would never leave a comment. Until I received my first comment. Oh, the thrill of it! Someone is out there. Someone is reading. That's when it hit me.
I must comment! Not so that people will check out my blog, but to pass along the feeling I have when I read a new comment. To say, "I hear you. Someone is listening. You are not alone. I know just how you feel." And so I comment. When I like something, when some one's words or images move me, I say so. I say, "Thanks." I say, "I'm listening. I'm here. Tell me more."
I started commenting as a way to give to others. Like so many acts of giving, the return is ten-fold. As I said, I made a friend. We have been exchanging long and excited emails; sharing our passions, knowledge, questions. This evening, I strolled over to her blog to see what she has been up to.
Didn't I tell you I made a friend this week? Our friendship began when I left a comment on her blog. She kindly responded, and there you have it. Kindred spirits. Doesn't it make you want to reach out? To leave a comment?
Connect. Only connect!
The lovely photo above was found here. I added the word.
5 comments:
Sweet Relyn,
Here is a quote that made me think of you:
Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: What! You too? I thought I was the only one. -- C.S. Lewis
tee hee! (That's us!)
Thank you for reaching out.
xo
happy saturday relyn ~ i love your reminder of one of the most important things, so thank you ever so much for that. i thought you should be confirmed of what you already are starting to know, that you have discovered a real treasure in your new friend. whatsmore, i thought you might enjoy knowing that tangobaby & i first started a friendship spark with blog comments too, but soon discovered who the "real" lady was on the other side of the comments: we work at opposite ends of the exact.same.office! i've known her less than a year but already count her among my dearest friends. yes, she is that darn good. long live wonderful heartfelt reaffirming connections! :o)
I love this post and your Thursday idea! And thanks for introducing me to your new blogging friend's site as well. How BeaUtifUl the story and the paths it has woven. Blessings Dear Friend, I love you, Katie
Sweet Love,
Remember that beautiful October day almost twenty years ago-- three teenagers sitting under a natural bridge talking about poetry. How about later that afternoon? Two teenagers drinking from a trickling waterfall. my fingers touching your face for the first time? Oh, I remember that night--the stars streaked across that moonless sky entirely for the purpose of punctuating our first connections. I have loved you from those first moments. I will love you after the last moments.
Relyn's Husband
Dear Relyn's Husband,
Are you trying to make us cry at work?
What a splendid and lovely comment. Relyn must be a very lucky lady.
;-)
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