Connections

Have you ever played a game called "Connect 4"?

I have not.

That is because I have absolutely no coordination when it comes to games that require the use of arms and legs. I do, however, really like the word "connections."  And I play the New York Times Game, Connections every day.

I really like it when people, places, or things "connect".

This print is hanging in my living room.

It came to me via the Silent Auction at the annual Mandarin Museum & Historical Society Fundraiser.

And it will be a constant reminder of the way our lives connect, even though many years have passed.

In 1986, my eldest child, Becca, started high school.  She had always been a good student, especially in math.  Her Algebra II teacher was Jane Cooksey.  She was a wonderful encouragement to Becca and I think remains one of Becca's favorites, and perhaps one of the reasons she went on to become a teacher.

I met Jane and her husband, Bryan, when I began attending the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour.  They became very dear to me.

When I met Joe Walsh, I learned that his mother, Mary, had encouraged Jane Cooksey to teach full-time when her children were in school at St. Joseph's, where Mrs. Walsh was the principal.  That's the same Jane Cooksey who taught Becca Algebra.

By now, John Cooksey and his wife, Leyda, are friends.  At the fundraiser, I learned that this print had hung in his parents' dining room and he had donated it for the Silent Auction.

And so it is.

But there's more.

It is a C. Ford Riley print.  I knew Ford's dad, Clayton, when he frequently visited the Here's Life Jacksonville office while I worked there as a secretary from 1982 to 1987.

This past Saturday, I attended a writer's workshop.  I was curious about other writers who might be there.  I was delighted to be with a 1960s Englewood teacher, a friend from Youth For Christ, and another who was a member of Seekers, the ministry for single adults I appreciated in the late 80s and early 90s.

I also met the daughter of Jody Brandenberg, who was instrumental in making Hardage-Giddens the funeral home it is today.  I still hope to work for Hardage before my employment days are over.

This concept illustrates that almost everyone we meet will likely have a connection to someone we know (or have known), and sometimes we will meet someone who can help us in the future.  It pays to mind our p's and q's.  

Hum - maybe we could help someone like that as well.

   May you have enough sunshine in your life,  to help you appreciate the shadows