Can you remember a time when love surprised you? Perhaps you were walking through a park, your school, across your campus, or through a mall and someone recognized you and greeted you? There have been times this has happened to me and it changed the course of my day. Here is an example.
My son was young and we were new to a school in a new town. I was still finding my own way through the people and hadn’t found my new roots in the new town. Anyway, I was chaperoning on a field trip. At this school at that time the parents drove the kids on field trips rather than the school chartering buses. Thus, each chaperone was partnered with another chaperone, and were assigned a few kids to drive in one of the chaperones cars—two chaperones per car. The teacher paired me up with a woman I hadn’t met until that moment. The teacher made a brilliant pairing. She, like I, had moved multiple times while growing up. We both had fallen in love with books—and had tried to pass that love of literature on to our younger siblings and our children. We both had taken dance as young girls, and been on the speech and debate teams as well. We both love the ocean, the Kennedys, and so much more. Talk about kismet. We happily jabbered away all the way to the museum, at the museum, and back to school. When we were both at school events we woul re-connect. It was just wonderful.
But that isn’t even the most amazing part. At the end of the school year she gave me a plate of cookies and a lovely note, asking me to please connect over the summer and telling me that our friendship was special to her. THAT is what truly altered my life. Yes, we were already friends. But that told me that I mattered to her. I already knew she mattered to me. But when you are the relatively new gal in town, you don’t always know for sure how things really are. She is to this day one of my dearest friends, and a shelter against the storms of life. We share similar outlooks, similar senses of humor (oh wow is she funny) and can share our lives whenever we get the chance to connect across the miles.
So, volunteering to chaperone brought me to a new sailing channel. I showed up to chaperone that day with no expectations for myself, only wishing to help. And OH BOY was I ever gifted! Yes, love surprises us sometimes.
Believe Anyway 