I was cleaning some papers off of my desk the other day, and found a newspaper clipping that my mom had given me. It was a collection of editorial cartoons that had been printed after the terror attack in Paris in January. They are ~ as editorial cartoons are ~ thought-provoking and insightful. They are also, because of the topic, poignant.
Mom had shared it with me because she was with a friend at the time that she read it, and she had shown it to her friend, but the friend only gave it a quick glance before moving on. “Oh, I never understand those,” she said lightly.
Which is fine. Not all of us appreciate all kinds of reading. Apparently this friend gets her thinking provoked in some other way. (Which, I can promise you, she does. She’s bright and well-informed and a great conversationalist. Unless you want to talk about editorial cartoons, apparently…)
I knew exactly how mom felt, though, when she showed me that newspaper. I know that feeling of wanting to find someone to share something with. Whether it’s something beautiful or interesting or astonishing, it’s rewarding to be able to share it with someone who appreciates it the way you do. C.S. Lewis said that a friendship is born at the moment when one person says to another, “Oh, you too?” I love that. Agreement. Understanding. That feeling of being simpatico.
And the fun thing is, often there are different people in our lives with whom we connect in different ways. The interests I share with my daughter are different from the ones I share with my son are different from the ones I share with my sweetie. Mom, dad, sisters, friends… lots of different connections in lots of different ways.
I love that God gifted us with passions and enthusiasm. But how much more fun are they when we have someone with whom to share them!
Light Expectations 