A pleasant surprise

I've always felt like my blog readers are an extended circle of friends.

Sometimes I've mentioned that I wish I could meet each of you in person. I somehow know that you'd be just as wonderful and lovely in person as you are online.

But though I wish it, in reality it hasn't happened very often. Some of you I knew in person before I ever started a blog. One of you I met afterward. :)

And two of you I met yesterday.

Imagine, dear readers, that you pull into your old familiar church parking lot for Sunday school, and spy an unfamiliar vehicle. The sky is gray, rain threatens, the day is gloomy and sleepy, but you don't feel ready to be gloomy - 'specially when you see that van. Your heart leaps in excitement. As a family who absolutely loves visitors, everyone in your own van immediately starts discussing whether someone in the congregation has bought a new van, or could it really and truly be some visitors?

But you know right away it's visitors, and you can't help smiling with eagerness. It's a van, which indicates a family rather than a couple or single, and it has a bible reference for the license plate numbers, which indicates they are outspoken for Christ. You can hardly get out of the van fast enough, but you slow yourself and tell yourself, "don't get too excited. It might just be that someone at church has bought a new van. ...Or maybe it's a visiting preacher."

Not that I don't love it when we have visiting speakers...but, though I didn't admit it to myself, I was dying to meet a new family.

By the time we entered church I was convinced that I was going to be disappointed. Then I saw an unfamiliar man talking with our Pastor. I felt better, right away, though a tiny part of me was sad that there would be no new young people to meet.

I deposited my fiddle (which always comes with me to church) in the practicing room at the back of our church, hung up my coat at the coat rack, and walked in the usual fashion into the sanctuary.

There was a new family sitting there! Oh joy! Church fellowship for the day would be all the sweeter.

My sister, Heather, was already talking with the two young ladies in the family, and as I came and sat down I got to meet them as well. Hannah and Sarah. We had barley finished the first "hi, how are you"s when one of them said "...and we read your blog."

I nearly fell over backwards. These darling young women read my blog!

As the talk progressed, I learned that the Girotti Family was simply visiting for the day, and lived several hours away, but I still couldn't get over the fact that they knew who I was. After they told me a little more about themselves, I recognized the girls' names as two of my sweet commentors. I can't say how splendid it was to meet them in person.

I was refreshed by our visit together, and wish it could have been twice - no, three times - as long. I think God knew I needed their visit, and sent them just to bless me. :)

So, ladies, don't give up - when you make friends over a distance, and think you'll never have the pleasure of meeting them....well, you just might!