It sounds odd if I say that yesterday was a "golden day," one that will stay in my memory for a long, long time, if not forever ... but that's just what it was.
It started off with two "chance" meetings that made me very happy.
Then I went on for a bloggers' lunch with Mama T, Smockmama, and Steven Riddle. What a great bunch of people! Steven Riddle, Southern gentleman that he is, was so charming and nice and funny and real. As for the Summa Mamas, I was ready to hop in their car and go home with them. (Which, by the way, is not so far off ... after hearing about their church, we're gonna have to drop by there some Sunday morning. It sounds amazing ... just about as good as my church. Ha!) We all dove in talking as if we'd known each other for many years. What an absolute pleasure it was. I can't say it better than Steven Riddle (as if anyone could!), "Y'all ROCK!!!"
And, what a perfect group of people for me to be with when Mama T got the sad call that the pope had died. We were in a restaurant but it was as if we were in a soundproof bubble. Nothing else existed except the four of us and our shared, mingled sadness and joy. Tears flowed and we clasped hands and shared prayer together for our pope and our church. What an odd "coincidence" for us to be together to share that moment ... as if I believed in coincidence. In fact, my husband has said three times that he still can't believe how odd it was that I was with those St. Blog's parishioners at that time (and he doesn't repeat himself like that).
That actually was the second time that I heard the pope was dead as I had the misfortune to check The Drudge Report on Friday at the exact time that the false report of John Paul II's death was posted. I stunned myself by bursting into sobs and not being able to stop. When I went to tell my husband, he wasn't surprised that I was so upset. "You love him," he said. Well, I knew that! But I didn't expect it to be such a real, physical feeling of sorrow. Brother, was I ticked off at the media after that! However, I got to experience both an intense private moment of mourning for the pope as well as sharing it with community, so in a way I feel doubly blessed by that mistake.
Of course, I was floating on air after coming back from that lunch. But the day wasn't done with me yet. Then I got a phone call from a dear friend who offered a wonderful opportunity to both expand my horizons and to be of service. I'm excited every time it crosses my mind so this is definitely the right time for this to come along. More details later as things develop about that but ... gee whiz, what a day!
UPDATE: Steven's and Mama T's accounts are here.
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