Marilyn Chandler McEntyre, in her book Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies, makes the claim that curiosity is a form of compassion. She argues that it is an act of love to show interest in another person by asking them, “What is it like to be you?” And so it is. What does it feel like to you when someone notices you? What does it feal like when someone remembers your name, or your birthday, or some tidbit of information that you volunteered about yourself the last time you were together? Or how did it feel the last time someone asked you a good question and then stuck around long enough to truly hear your answer? There is nothing more encouraging, more soul enriching, than for another person to take a genuine interest in you. Continue reading The Gift of Attention

C. S. once wrote, “To love at all is to be vulnerable.” I was reminded about that truth a few years ago by the brave and vulnerable actions of a young friend. We were at birthday party where there happen to be dancing. At first, only the adults took to the dance floor. While it can be a brave thing for an adult to take to the dance floor, for most of these adults it was not because most of these adults were married. Once you’ve gotten a girl to say she’ll be your bride, it’s not that much of a risk to ask her to dance. My young friend is not married. On this evening he did see a young lady he wanted to dance with. Continue reading The Risk of Love