Between You and Me

If I had a nickel for every time someone has started a conversation with the words, "Between you and me," I'd be rich far, far, far beyond my wildest dreams. No, really ... I'm dead serious. Just take today for example, I heard those words from nine people at my office ... yep, nine different people told me things today that they asked me not to repeat, things they specifically requested remain between me and them. More often than not, the words, "between you and me," are followed up at some point in the conversation by the words, "please promise me you'll keep this just between us and that you won't say anything to anyone else about it." Heck ... I've said those very words myself more times than I can count just in the last year alone, and I'm thankful for the wonderful folks who faithfully honored my request. The truth is there are times when we all need that, you know ... we need someone who will listen without judgment or opinion ... someone we can pour our hearts out to ...  someone we can trust to keep what we share "between you and me."

Today has been one of those days ... one of those days when I had a ton of work on my desk and a ton of thoughts on my mind. But as I drove home this evening, I found myself shelving some of my own thoughts that had been haunting me throughout the day and instead thinking about my earlier conversations with the folks in my office ... thinking about the things they shared with me ... thinking about their struggles and their problems ... thinking about the enormity of the trust they've placed within me. As I contemplated the things my friends had entrusted to me, I started thinking about the words "between you and me." I said them out loud to the air in my car over and over and over again ... "between you and me" ... "between you and me" ... "between you and me." And that's when I knew ... that's when I got it ... that's when the lesson in those words pierced my heart and caused the tears I had fought all day to keep at bay to finally spill from my eyes and drip down the front of my shirt as I drove.

If I haven't learned another thing from my journey over the last couple of years, I've learned this ... life is so very short ... too, too short to let certain things separate us from one another. It's easier to let differing beliefs or opinions divide us than it is to let them bring us together. We should be talking to each other, sharing with each other, listening to each other, searching for common ground with each other, trusting each other, leaning on each other, carrying each other and respecting each other instead of allowing things to come between us and drive us apart. We should be willing to do whatever it takes to build up rather than tear down ... to encourage rather than condemn ... to love rather than hate. "Between you and me" are words that should only be spoken in the spirit of trust and honesty and true compassion ... "between you and me" should mean togetherness rather than separation. 

"Between you and me" ... "between you and me" ... "between you and me" ... I'm pretty sure that when I hear those words again, I'll listen to them in a whole new way ... I think I'll listen to them with my ears wide open, friends ... I think I'll listen to them with my ears wide open.