Saturday I enjoyed a delightful breakfast with my young friend, Laura. We talked about serious things; we talked about nonsense. We also talked about a lot of things in between. I convinced her to allow me to snap a few photos of her as I sought her permission to mention her in my blog. Those photos turned out to be of very poor quality; I must've been shivering when I took them. However, I found a great photo shared on her FaceBook. I don't think she'll mind that I share it instead...
Once upon a time we lived in Southern New Mexico. When we moved there we met a family in the congregation who had three little girls. The middle girl, Laura, reminded me so much of Laura Ingalls Wilder on Little House on the Prairie! Remember her? Well, this Laura was a pretty little brunette like her and had a similarly charming personality. She just had a sense of FUN about her. She was a 4th grader when we met.
We became friends with Laura's parents and enjoyed time with them. Sadly, they moved away from New Mexico before we really got to know them as well as we'd have liked. Their new home was in Iowa. We kept in touch for a few years via Christmas Cards and such. I'm pretty bad with the cards, though, and we ended up losing touch.
When Mike received an invitation to interview at a congregation in Wyoming we had a little mystery greet us. People told us that just the week or so before Mike's interview, a couple with a tall, blonde teen-age daughter had visited the church. When this small family heard the announcement that the congregation would be interviewing Mike, they'd mentioned to someone that they knew him. However, no one remembered the name of the family and we just could not think of anyone we knew that fit that description.
Finally, while touring the church, we thought to read the guest book. The family was, as you may have guessed, Laura's family. We found out later they had just moved to this town in Wyoming. Laura and her older sister, however, were in college in Iowa. Her little sister was the tall blonde teen! Ah, the lightbulbs came on!
Well, we again enjoyed getting to know Laura's parents and her little sister. Laura's Mom became a good friend to me. We did not live far apart and often shared rides to Bible Studies and such. I found that she was one of the easiest people to talk with and we seemed to have a lot in common.
Laura ended up accepting a position working here and so we enjoyed reconnecting with her as well. Sadly, her parents and sister have since moved on. Happily, because Laura is here, they are occasionally back for visits.
Laura was in a Christian group of young women that met for Bible Study and conversation. At one point they all decided to seek out a mentor. I was really honored when Laura asked me to fill that position for her. That's when I really got to know her better. I'm not always certain who is mentoring whom, but we share some good discussions and a lot of laughter. We've become good friends and I really appreciate this young woman!
Do you have people in your lives that keep popping up like Laura's family? Or maybe non-relatives that kind of feel like relatives? For me, the best things in this life have to do with relationships. I've been blessed with a lot of meaningful ones and for this I am grateful!
To explain to you how I came to be friends with this young woman I think I should begin at the beginning...
Once upon a time we lived in Southern New Mexico. When we moved there we met a family in the congregation who had three little girls. The middle girl, Laura, reminded me so much of Laura Ingalls Wilder on Little House on the Prairie! Remember her? Well, this Laura was a pretty little brunette like her and had a similarly charming personality. She just had a sense of FUN about her. She was a 4th grader when we met.
We became friends with Laura's parents and enjoyed time with them. Sadly, they moved away from New Mexico before we really got to know them as well as we'd have liked. Their new home was in Iowa. We kept in touch for a few years via Christmas Cards and such. I'm pretty bad with the cards, though, and we ended up losing touch.
When Mike received an invitation to interview at a congregation in Wyoming we had a little mystery greet us. People told us that just the week or so before Mike's interview, a couple with a tall, blonde teen-age daughter had visited the church. When this small family heard the announcement that the congregation would be interviewing Mike, they'd mentioned to someone that they knew him. However, no one remembered the name of the family and we just could not think of anyone we knew that fit that description.
Finally, while touring the church, we thought to read the guest book. The family was, as you may have guessed, Laura's family. We found out later they had just moved to this town in Wyoming. Laura and her older sister, however, were in college in Iowa. Her little sister was the tall blonde teen! Ah, the lightbulbs came on!
Well, we again enjoyed getting to know Laura's parents and her little sister. Laura's Mom became a good friend to me. We did not live far apart and often shared rides to Bible Studies and such. I found that she was one of the easiest people to talk with and we seemed to have a lot in common.
Laura ended up accepting a position working here and so we enjoyed reconnecting with her as well. Sadly, her parents and sister have since moved on. Happily, because Laura is here, they are occasionally back for visits.
Laura was in a Christian group of young women that met for Bible Study and conversation. At one point they all decided to seek out a mentor. I was really honored when Laura asked me to fill that position for her. That's when I really got to know her better. I'm not always certain who is mentoring whom, but we share some good discussions and a lot of laughter. We've become good friends and I really appreciate this young woman!
Do you have people in your lives that keep popping up like Laura's family? Or maybe non-relatives that kind of feel like relatives? For me, the best things in this life have to do with relationships. I've been blessed with a lot of meaningful ones and for this I am grateful!
