Students singing National Anthem – Milparada, Honduras

There have been times when someone confided in me, expressing grief over a loss or describing an incident that had hurt some much that talking about it brought tears to both of our eyes.  As painful as these experiences were, I always felt good about them afterward.  There have been other times that I have embarrassed someone by laughing at them.  I don’t feel good about those times.

The key isn’t the laughing or crying, it is the word “With.”  The shared experience of “with” feels good, whether it is laughing or crying or working together.  Consider the difference in your reaction to someone who does things WITH you, instead of TO you, or FOR you.