Connected

Do you ever get a sense of connectedness that you simply can't explain? It can be somewhat overwhelming and yet, comforting at the same time. Whatever the notion is, it seems to come from far beyond us and summons up deep recesses of what is real.

Some will call it Spirit, some may call it intuition, some may have other nomenclature for it. I find myself increasingly less concerned with identifying it and more compelled to listen to it.

For me, connectedness appears in random places and at unexpected times. This past Tuesday, while lunching with my younger daughter, I felt the connection in the face of a little child. A total stranger to me, she sat in her high chair with her parents on both sides of the table. For a long while, she didn't even acknowledge our presence, but then she turned around and looked at us.  Both Ciara and I were drawn deep into her countenance. Her smile was adorable and she grinned at us with the sweetest of affections, but I felt myself almost falling deeply into her essence. It was as if her smile was the cover of the book and once opened, there were chapters of things to know and love. I've not yet talked with Ciara to ask her experience, but there was "something" there. We "connected" and then, as quickly as she engaged us, she turned around and began to play with a piece of garlic bread. Connection achieved, move on.

I've felt this connection as long as I can remember. One of my earliest life memories was of a waitress in a strange restaurant. I must have been no more than four years old, I remember the moment like it was yesterday. She did speak intentionally to me, but I don't remember what she said. It was something about her -- something beyond her -- that I've never forgotten. A 30 or 40 minute meal, a momentary gesture... and a lifetime memory.

And then there are those friends with whom the connection transcends the duration of acquaintance. Those friends you've "known" for perhaps only a few years, and yet the connection goes much deeper as if you've known one another forever.

What is that about? What are these connections? Is there something available to us that too few explore?

What are your experiences? What are your thoughts?