It has been a reflective few days for me. Yesterday my sister Julie, who just died in January of this year, would have turned 76. And tomorrow it will be two years since Ken died. Grief is a funny thing. At the least expected moment, suddenly there are reminders and you realize that you just don't feel "right". That aptly describes how I was feeling on Friday. It took me a little while to understand exactly what I had been feeling. Thankfully, I was able to connect the feelings to the facts of the time. I miss both my sister and Ken more at these times. It was also a drab, cloudy and cold day on Friday, which certainly contributed to my depressed emotions. But then, Saturday, I had one of those "you just can't make this stuff up" happen.
Years and years ago (think 48 or 49 years), Ken and I had a small group of "couple" friends who we spent most Friday or Saturday evenings, enjoying games and laughter. Some couples were just dating, some were soon to be married and some were already married. There were a few single friends also.
When I think back to those evenings, usually we were pretty crowded into someone's small apartment living room. I often think back to those impromptu parties and wonder about those friends from our early years. After a short while, we all moved to new places, new jobs and newer friends. So we lost touch with most of this crowd. Ken and I stayed in contact with my good friend Marie and her husband Dave. In the last few years, Marie and I discovered that her daughter lives very close to Gwen and Tim. Pretty surprising since this is a really large metropolitan area and Marie and Dave lived in Wisconsin since shortly after their marriage.
Part of the reason that Ken and I lost contact with most of this group of friends, is also a big part of my faith journey. I don't know exactly how it happened, but several of these couples were part of the Bahai faith. They had a plan to try to persuade Ken and I to join their faith and begin meeting with them. We received several invitations to private meetings to discuss Bahai with them, we were given material and books to read and there was a pretty big push for us to join their fellowship. I had been raised in the Lutheran church and Ken was raised Presbyterian. While we enjoyed this group of friends and wanted to remain in their circle, we were not interested in joining Bahai. I am very thankful for my pastor at the time (he actually married Ken and I). I asked to meet with him and we had a long discussion about Bahai. He helped me to put words to my faith and not be swayed by this group. This was the first time that my faith in Jesus was put to the test. It was a defining moment for me and helped me to move forward confidently knowing that Jesus was my true Savior. Unfortunately, we were basically cut out of fellowship with these "friends" after we stood our ground and rejected Bahai.
If you are still following along, here is the REASON for this story today. This year, I decided to actually "join" Gwen and Tim's church - Fellowship of Faith. Recently, the church has started a Bible Reading plan on the YouVersion Bible app. Last week, out of curiosity, I was scanning the list of people who had signed up for this Bible reading plan. I happened upon a very unusual first name. I have only ever known (or heard of) one person with this name. And it was one of those friends from the story I just shared. I actually knew this gal WAY BACK in high school. We shared many classes together and had many mutual friends, including my friend Marie. Ken and I and Marie and Dave attended this friends wedding, held at the Bahai Temple in Evanston. Shortly after this, I totally lost contact with her. After a few years, Marie also no longer had a good address for her and knew that she had been divorced. Over the years, she was someone who would come to mind and I would wonder where she ended up.
When I finally remembered to actually ask Gwen if she knew this person from the Bible plan, she said "Of course, why?" I gave her a quick back story and she proceeded to text this gal's daughter - who happens to be someone that Gwen knows well. She asked if her mother had happened to attend Elk Grove High School, which was certainly an odd question coming out of the blue. When the answer was yes, I was just amazed. Here this "lost" friend from 50 years ago, is actually attending the same church as me. As a matter of fact, her family is actually a part of my new small group "Table Dinner". I had been at a dinner with her, talked briefly with her about her grandkids, but never realized who she was!
What an amazing story of just how small our world really is. When I messaged Marie that I had found Lalin, she was so surprised and asked me to forward her information so they could connect.
The best part of this story for me is that I found her through a Bible reading plan. I thought that I had lost her because of her decision to be a part of Bahai. But God is faithful! What a wonderful reminder that Jesus is drawing people to himself. I can't wait to spend some time catching up with her and hearing her journey to knowing more about Jesus. Wow, am I thankful that she is doing this Bible Plan with me!
Isn't it amazing who personal Jesus is? This connection didn't just happen. Jesus is in it for sure! Last night I was considering this - that Jesus would care so much that he would bring this person back into my life after almost 50 years. More than that, Jesus reminded me of this very important part of my faith journey, one that I had not remembered or even thought about. Thanks to this event, my first adult decision to follow Jesus will now be included in my book. I am looking forward to connecting more with my long lost friend in the weeks ahead!
Jesus, I am totally humbled that you would care about me and this small event in my life. Thank you for using everything in our life to draw us even closer to you. Holy Spirit, thank you for bringing me to Fellowship of Faith. Continue to bless those that developed the YouVersion Bible app that has made Your word accessible to so many. Thank you Jesus, for being with me as I grieve Julie and Ken. Holy Spirit, comfort all who mourn. Thank you Jesus for your plans and purposes for each of us. Amen
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