ok so I want to tell you about a dream I had when I was a small boy of about 10 or 12. Maybe it will help you see a little bit beneath the surface... you see, when I was a boy we had this thing called "Television" and it required "rabbit ears" to receive pictures over the air. (it's a miracle, right?)

So anyway, there was a news story on about a boy who stowed away in the landing gear of an aircraft (this was WAY before "The Fifth Element" when these sorts of things happened all the time.). The little boy was trying to runaway from his current existance and find a better life. Luckily he lived through the experience. He nearly froze to death but they took care of him and got back on his feet and shipped him back home.

That night I had a dream.

I was that boy and I stowed away in the landing gear of a large commercial jet. I didn't freeze but when I landed I thought maybe I was in heaven. The sun was shining, there was green grass, trees, etc. Everything was beautiful and warm.

I started to explore this place, walking around to discover where I was. I saw a large white building not too far away with clean, futuristic architectural lines so I walked that way. I thought I was in a park or something but I didn't see any people. I kept walking until I saw a group of people who were sitting together on a fence talking with each other like they were old friends. The scene really appealed to me because I never had a "group" of people for friends. I asked one of them what this place was and one of them turned to me and regarded me with friendly eyes and said, "You are in heaven." Awesome, right? I made it! "But," he continued "you cannot stay here, you are only visiting." I waited. "You may return one day, but first you must voluntarily go back to where you came for a time. Only then will you be worthy to join us here forever."
I thought it over. It wasn't easy for an adolescent to make such big decisions but in the end I realized I desired to be a member of that group of truly good and caring people, that they would accept me as one of them, not an intruder or outsider. So I went home.

I have been here ever since but I've always thought there were people like that right here and what I needed to do is become a part of people’s lives right here or I would never be ready to be a part of heaven.

So whenever I have a small part in bringing two or more people together or when I meet them directly one-on-one I try to remember that. we only have what's in front of us so I need to be sure not to look past it, but to find a way to connect with whoever comes into my path... now I have to take a minute...