#27 - God's Surprises

I went to college "back in the old days."  Co-ed dorms were just beginning to happen, computers were definitely optional (and Internet was not in the rooms), cell phones were nearly non-existent, and class registration took place on paper. Ok - that makes me feel about 100, but I really am not that old.

I got my undergraduate degree from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.  I wanted the full college experience so when it came to choosing a roommate, I let the college do it for me.  And believe it or not, they paired me with a roommate who's name was Cynthia too.  Made for some crazy encounters.  We had different life styles and different preferences, so it didn't turn out to be the best match.

At the same time, I had a friend from high school who I hung out with some (you know when you go to college you hang out with anyone who is familiar) and this led to her roommate and I becoming good friends and wanting to be roommates.

So, after my first semester, I changed rooms and roommates.  Little did I know how much this change would impact my life.  Kim and I became best friends.  We were different in so many ways and could drive each other batty in the blink of an eye, and yet at the same time, let somebody mess with the other and we were there to their rescue. 

I will celebrate my 25th college reunion this year (now I am really thinking I am old!) and Kim is still in my life.  We were in each other's weddings.  We haven't seen each other in years and we haven't talked on the phone in more than a year.  We have lived across the world form each other (North Carolina to Japan, Washington State to Spain) and across the country from each other (North Carolina to Washington State).  We have shared losses and joys.  We have exchanged stories of our children. We aren't even really good at keeping up via email (and she is terrible at facebook), but yet, for me - whenever we do connect, it is as if time has stood still.

I woke up the other day and had her on my mind and heart so dropped her a one line email.  We are the kind of friends that we aren't offended when it takes the other months to respond so I imagine my surprise today when I opened my email and there was a long note from her.  As I sat and read the update of her life I could picture us sitting across from each other with a cup of tea in our hands and sharing these stories.  And as tears slipped out of my eyes - mostly tears of joy, and a few tears of wishing we were actually in the same city and that cup of tea could be real - I realized that I had been truly blessed.

Not everyone leaves college with a lifetime friend, a friend that knows your deepest secrets and who will be on their knees before God on your behalf when needed.  I went to college for an education, and God surprised me with more than that.... a roommate who became a lifetime friend.  Now I'll just pray that God will surprise me with a real live visit from her one day too.