As six-year-old with floppy brown hair and a backpack bulging with his roller blades waved a quick goodbye to me in the airport as he bounded off for home with his parents. I had the feeling that he had taught me something very important on the flight we'd just shared, though it took me a few days to figure out what it was.
Jeremy was my seat partner in a crowded DC-10 airplane. There was a man on his other side, but I was the one he selected to be his companion and friend. My hopes for the flight had included the possibility of engaging in a conversation with another seeker for Truth. At the very least I looked forward to spending the time with my reading materials.
But as the needs of my squirmy companion became clearer to me, I tucked away my books and devoted my full attention to him. First, he was afraid of flying. Then, he was unwilling to eat his dinner. Later, I caught him telling me a lie. And finally, he needed relief from an earache. I didn't give him my copy of Science and Health, which he couldn't read, but I was certainly being called on to live its message. My bright-eyed friend inadvertently taught me two valuable lessons. (1) Sharing truth requires living it. (2) Love has no strings attached.
