It would be wonderful if you could teleport yourself to be with the people you love. You could share their adventures, their good times and be supportive in bad times.

I miss the people I love. Most live far away.

This weekend I was treated to that special feeling - that next best thing to being there.

My dear friend had invited me to a festival in Wheeling. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons I couldn't take advantage of this wonderful invitation.

Today as he was driving from Cleveland to Wheeling, West Virginia he called and said I was missed. Me - I was missed. He was enroute to a fun day and he thought of me and called. It made me smile. Later I discovered a voicemail message that had been left while I was busy doing errands. It was my friend. He left me a message with the music from the festival playing in the background, it was the next best thing to being there.

This weekend I also got an e-mail from my brother saying his son Josh was in town and they were enjoying each other. My sister Wendy wrote and told me what was happening in her world. I enjoyed hearing that she went to see "Kiss Me Kate" with her daughters, it was the next best thing to being there.

Sometimes my sons share what they are doing in their hectic worlds. Sometimes friends share what is happening in there life. Whether it is great news that they have a wonderful job opportunity, whether it is fun news about where they ate, what movie they saw or what they did on vacation it makes me feel special and happy. If they share private information about a struggle or fear or information that is confidential, it is a sublime compliment of trust.

Time is the most precious resource any of us has. When someone takes the time to share what is happening in their world I treasure it.

It is a special gift. It is the next best thing to being there.