I met Kathy when I was about 20 years old. I always liked her, and we traveled in the same circles, but we never socialized one-on-one.
Time passed and I grew distant from the friends who connected Kathy and me, so I didn’t see her or hear about her life.
A couple years ago, maybe one or two, we reconnected. Though I don’t remember exactly how, I suspect that Facebook was involved. And I don’t remember how or why I told her my story, but she started to pray for me. And then, she had her prayer group praying for me.
You know how I am about prayer and its power. I was incredibly touched (and still am), and felt so much closer to her, even more than 30 years ago.
Recently she told me that she would be coming to Needham, a town relatively close to where I live. We made loose plans to get together.
Then life intervened and my schedule got crazy. I only had a sliver of time, so I suggested that I meet her at the airport for a quick hug and hello. She said no. She already arranged transportation and wouldn’t give me her airline or flight number, but I did know her arrival time.
No problem – I used to travel frequently and I can figure this out! I did have a bit of uncertainty – I wasn’t even sure that she would be flying in from Pittsburgh. But I kept picturing how fun it would be to see her and decided I would take the chance.
After driving to the airport (and figuring out parking – the lot was full!) I headed inside to wait. I brought a book to pass the time but I realized that I was too excited to read. Plus, I had to watch two escalators to make sure that I didn’t miss her, though I shouldn’t have worried. You couldn’t miss the influx of Pittsburgh Steelers apparel. (In case you aren’t familiar, Pittsburghers love our Steelers clothing, and one can purchase, and wear, a Pittsburgh Steelers outfit for every occasion.)
Pretty soon, there she was! We immediately recognized each other and then talked for so long that the limo driver called her cell phone to track her down. It was such a high to see her again, and I’m just sorry that we didn’t get a picture together!
This feeling is so fabulous that I want everyone to feel it! I hope you get a chance to connect with someone, whether you just met them, see them all the time, or haven’t seen them in 25 years. And thank you, always, for being connected with me. It makes this path immensely more positive to travel.
Love,
Marie
Adventures in Spiritual Living 
Even the limo driver agrees that Marie has to be one very special person to surprise a friend she hasn’t seen in 30 years in the midst of rush hour at Logan airport! I said no because it was too much to ask or expect. Yet Marie is a friend whose love exceeds all boundaries! I love you, girl!
Kathy, you are so worth braving Boston rush hour traffic! You are too nice and I look forward to seeing you again SOON. I love you, too!
And hopefully we will connect when we are in Cambridge May 11-13. 😍
Sent from my iPad
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I hope so too, Molly!
Here’s a good ‘reconnecting’ follow-up. You are aware we had a long-track deadly tornado plow through Central Arkansas on Monday evening while the Priores were hunkered down in our OWN tornado shelter in Western Arkansas. No fewer than four old friends from around the world have called and chatted just to confirm we were ok and at the same time to re-connect. While the storms have proved deadly for nearly 40 southerners so far they have brought grace into many lives as well. Be strong, Marie.
What a beautiful story, Jeff. (And very glad you are all okay.)