From Texas to Tennessee

Earlier this week I had a call from my friend Annette, who lives in Texas. She told me she and her hubby would be passing through town on their way to...wait for it...yes, Tennessee! She said she'd been inspired to go there by the photos she'd seen on my blog.

Last night I had dinner with them, along with their old friend and my new one, Leah. Good friends, good conversation, and good food. It was a delightful evening.

I was delighted again today when I got a call from this girl, who also lives in Texas:

We first met in 1957 (the year this photo was taken), shortly after my mother married her dad, and she was part of our household throughout my high school years. A few years after I got married at 18 and moved out of town in one direction, she got married and soon  moved away in another. We saw each other only occasionally after that, and as years and miles came between us, we lost touch. The last time our paths crossed was in 1996, at Daddy's funeral.

She and I (and my sister, of course) share a half-brother who has kept us somewhat posted on one another's whereabouts, although he's not the best communicator in the world either.  At some point in the past, though, he told her about this blog. Today she got around to looking it up. She saw photos of familiar faces and objects (such as my grandmother's knife), and she saw other photos, too, some that she felt were a sign that this was the right time to reach out and call me.

She was talking about the pictures from my recent trip to Tennessee. You see, she and her husband have plans to go on vacation in about a week. And, yes, they're going to Gatlinburg.

I love those times when the world seems to shrink up and draw all the people closer.