Connections.

Connections are incredible.

Have you ever just looked across the room and seen a stranger and simply known—known that you were going to be friends, or even that you would love that person forever?

Or maybe, you’re a long way from home, and it’s been weeks since anyone has even hugged you, and a new friend touches you gently on the shoulder, and it means so much to you that you go and sit in the car and cry for the next few minutes because it was just what you needed.

And perhaps, you feel like you’ll never experience a deep, soul-kind of connection with anyone ever again, and you've almost resigned yourself to a lifetime of mediocre “’How are you today?’ ‘I’m fine, thank you’” conversations—when suddenly, you find yourself talking throughout the night with someone who just gets you.

Connections.

How does this happen? How is it that you can feel so strongly linked to certain people, yet not to others? Is it chemistry? God-ordained meetings? Both? I don’t know. But what I do know is that these people are special. You don’t have these kinds of bonds with everyone you meet.

For example, I know a girl who is the nicest person on the planet. We used to do a lot of stuff together because we lived close, traveled in the same circles, carpooled together, and were often thought to be like twins because we were so similar in every way. Yet, there was always just something missing.

And even in the past, I've gone out on dates with some of the most pleasant guys, yet, the conversation dragged and in the end, we just didn't click. There was no spark, no magic, no great burning desire to know everything and anything about each other. Before long, those kinds of relationships were reduced to cookie-cutter conversations that never amounted to more than “’How was your day?’ ‘Lovely. How was yours?’” And no amount of trying or digging for deeper questions can fix that. That connection just isn't there.

But when it is there, it’s wonderful, always catching me off-guard in its wonderfulness. Just when you feel like life might be a little dull, and you may never feel those deep connections again: BAM! You happen upon someone who understands you. These are your best friends. These are people who will take up permanent corners in your heart. Those are the people who will treasure your soul and bring out the best in you.

Connections.