Walking under the majestic pines, the soft morning breeze messed up her hair. Laughing, she turns toward me and smiles. I'm delighted to have a new friend.

Have you ever been tempted to talk to a stranger but were afraid to start the conversation?

I used to be afraid as well. For a while in my life I was unaccustomed to having friends different from myself. But then something remarkable and wonderful happened. I met Leigh. Leigh and I were bridesmaids at our friends' wedding. As an African-American woman, she was one of the first to bring uniqueness to my Caucasian colored world. We shared friendship as we shared the bridesmaid's tasks. She, artistic and creative, had a soft laugh and a beautiful smile. We would exchange letters and calls long beyond the wedding.

Through the years, there have been other friends that entered my life through circumstance and happenstance. A vacation or a job change gave me opportunity to make friends with someone different.

I remember with great fondness:

• Mia, a transplanted Iranian Muslim woman. We attended the same language school in Sweden. Her Persian life offered me an exotic and exquisite taste of the East. Like her family's Persian rugs, her warmth lingered with my heart.

• Kathy, a staunch member of one sect of the Church of Jesus Christ. Not truly "Mormon", her "not Mormon" doctrine had some folks in our home-school co-op leery. However, she loved her kids intensely, was engaging spiritually, socially responsible and genuinely kind. Never once did I see what was "threatening" about her.

And now today, as the wind messes up Tami's hair I reflect on what she has brought me through our friendship. As a young Buddhist woman, I discover humor, wisdom and gentle kindness. Her life is intriguing and tragic. Her life is different from mine.

While my "wonderfully different from me" friends and I may disagree on certain aspects in life, we agree on much more.

Each woman enlarged and brightened my life. Each time, a new friend was discovered because we listened with our hearts.

Isn't that what this world needs for its people to come together and care and simply embrace the beautiful individuality of another?

As I walk, a stunning variety of women emerges. Peacefully coexisting within me, I am every woman. Tad bits of Leigh, Mia, Kathy and Tami dwell inside my spirit. Fragments of their wisdom, goodness, and integrity drench my soul

I challenge you too, to welcome someone different into your world. Take a chance and risk moving beyond the familiar.

You will be rewarded and will have a grand opportunity to make a difference in the world!