what are you putting into people's lives?

It's been an interesting week...this week I watched 3 little girls for a family that lives here--an opportunity to invest in people's lives. Every day there are chances to be a part of what is going on in the lives of others...I stood and talked with another neighbor today who told me about how his marriage of 40 years had ended in them separating. I've only met this man once and yet here he was looking for someone to tell his story to someone...will I ever see him again? Well, he visits with my neighbor regularly so probably but you never know who is going to come into your life.

In addition, I have come into contact (go facebook!) with people this week that I have seen or heard from for almost 20 years. Why is it that we can pick up with people after years and still have a friendship? In spite of the gap of time, we have a connection.

At the same time, I'm reading the book of Job. Poor guy. Lost his family (except for his wife who told him to curse God and die) and his stuff and his body was covered with sores from head to toe (I have a blister on my foot and it's annoying, can't imagine open sores.) Interesting because the story says that Satan was allowed to inflict this pain on Job and yet most of the book is about 3 guys who were supposedly his friends and how they totally kicked him while he was down. Why do we do that? It seems like we are more likely to tear down the people we love than a total stranger...perhaps we feel too comfortable with them and feel like since we love them, we can "speak the truth in love". Not sure that is what the intention of that was.

I'm fascinated with the interactions we have with people. Trust takes time to build and can collapse in a moment. People speak of love at first site and connections with strangers. Other people talk about people that they can't figure out or just don't get along with for whatever reason. We spent years fostering relationships only to destroy them in a war of words. Our connections with others are what drive us and destroy us. We were created to have relationships with people. What a amazing part of life.