This young woman was raised in New York City, went to college at the University of Alabama, and had recently moved to Austin. Since I was born and raised in Alabama, we quickly connected and found an easy rhythm to our conversation. Her relationship with Jesus and devotion to Christianity became a big part of her answers to the questions early on, and our ease wasn’t affected when I expressed a disconnect to some of what she was saying. 

 

What a treat it was to engage with someone with such significant differences than myself while both of us remembering how unimportant those differences are. She confidently shared her perspective on things like sex, the idea of home, and future regrets, revealing common and distant ground. But our connection remained because the space we created together was for sharing and listening, not convincing or proving.