I'm sitting here thinking about the people I know. The list goes on forever. Just thinking back to the beginning--who do I remember?
There are my parents, my sisters, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins.
Childhood friends. Teachers. Neighbors. Employers. The kids I babysat.
Co-workers. People at church. I can't even remember all the people I've known.
How about people that made indelible marks on our lives? Maxine, the neighbor across the street who covered her house with Christmas lights. The foreign exchange student from Australia. The English teacher named Flavius. The Messianic Jewish doctor who did my pre-marital counseling. The other moms at LaLeche League meetings. My first true love. My husband. My children. My Grandchildren!
So this week I did something out-of-character. I looked up the foreign exchange student from 28 years ago. I simply did a Google search to see what would happen when I typed in his name. And there it was! With just a little more detective work, I found an email address. Could this really be him? How would I ever know if I didn't take a leap into the unknown and ask?
To many, this would seem like a simple task. If it's not him, there would either be no answer or No for an answer. What's the risk? To me, this felt like a huge mountain to cross. What if it's not him? I'll be embarassed. I'll have imposed on a stranger. What if it is him, and he doesn't remember me? I'll be embarassed and imposed on someone I once knew. He's on the other side of the planet. What does it matter?
But what if I don't ask? What if I don't extend myself just a little? Will I be missing a great opportunity to reconnect with someone who touched my life? So, I took a deep breath, cleared my mind of all the 'what ifs', wrote a simple email, and clicked the Send button before I could change my mind. And then I waited.
I opened my email a few days later, and there was a reply! IT IS HIM! and he is GLAD that I found him. He remembers Me! And he is happy and well and has a beautiful family and a successful business. And I am happy and proud that I stepped outside my comfort zone.
Is it important in the big scheme of the universe that I did it? I doubt it, but then again 'What If' I didn't????
