Connections by God

Up until now, I have rarely gotten out of Dodge. My job and four kids keep me pretty tied down to this quaint, little town I call, home. All of that changed for me this summer. A work trip to St. Louis, pleasure trip to Idaho to see family, and another work trip to California has made my summer evaporate before my eyes. Do I love it? Is Elvis the king of rock and roll?

There are many stories I could tell about my summer vacation, but time is limited... the kitchen is waiting for me to cook supper. So, I need to tell you about a God-orchestrated connection. Why do I claim God orchestrated it? Because you cannot make this stuff up, and even if you tried, it would not have the soul connection that was felt between two friends.

I need to start with a tidbit of background knowledge for you. Shelley is a childhood friend. No, not the kind of friend you're thinking of. Not the friend who knew every secret. Not the friend that camped out in the back yard, or talked Mom into letting her go with on a family vacation. The reason? She lived on a different block, was two grades ahead of me, AND went to private schools as I went to public. Add all of these things together, and you can pretty much say that in the life of a child, we lived on different planets.

I don't remember how it happened, but one summer, as I was entering 10th grade, and she, 12th, we hung out. I thought she was the coolest girl I had ever met. Long legs, perfect hair, manicured nails, adorable smile, sweet as could be, had the coolest attic bedroom this side of Minneapolis with a t.v.., AND we were both convinced she was going to marry Rick Springfield. She was cool enough to catch his eye... I just knew it. This was the summer Luke and Laura got married on General Hospital; as far as we knew, love conquered all obstacles... Just look at Luke and Laura!

Shelley and I lost touch after that summer, other than a brief farewell two years later. She was off to California, and I never saw her again.

Fast forward 24 years. As you are probably well aware, facebook has given many people a wonderful way of reconnecting with old friends. A few months ago, I found Shelley via facebook. We briefly reconnected, but that was it. When I found out I would be in California for work, I e-mailed Shelley.

Now, just think about this for a moment. Picture the size of California, the population, and the chances of me being even remotely close to where she lives. Slim, eh? Slimmer than slim! Would you believe me if I told you that the hotel that my training was at, and where I was staying for seven days was three and a half miles from her home?! Three and a half! Unbelievable. I could skip to her home!! (Wouldn't that be fun?! Awkward, maybe, but fun!!)

We met for dinner, talked and laughed for hours, and didn't want the evening to end. We had such a great time, and such a connection, that we got together again the night before I left for home. We are sisters in Christ and through revelations, encouragement, stories, and DARES, we knew that we were meant to reconnect... It was a God thing.

Thank you, God.