Sweet Reunions

Does everyone have lingering connections from living in many various places and building relationships along the way, or are we just odd that way? Whatever, that is the situation we are blessed with, and there is almost nothing sweeter than face-to-face renewals of those friendships from years past.

This week, two incredibly special people managed to create breaks in their busy lives and visit Charlie. The first dropped in after we arrived in the Triangle area on Monday evening. Her name is Holly, and she was truly one of the most bubbly and eager middle schoolers that ever walked the planet when we first met her, circa 1988. Now she is a genuine grown-up, a beautiful young lady, inside and out, walking day by day in a growing relationship with her heavenly Father. We had such a fun time recalling old youth group memories and simply catching up on more recent life happenings. However, her almost-three-year-old daughter, Riley, stole the show! We were entertained by every imaginable antic during the course of their visit. (sorry I didn't have access to a photo editor with red-eye correction when uploading this pic)

This afternoon, Holly delivered a handmade Riley creation to cheer Mr. Charlie.

The second visitor arrived unexpectedly in the waiting area shortly after surgery while Charlie was being readied for transport up to his room. While Kathy waited for me to finish my visit in the Recovery Room, a man she didn't know approached her and asked if she was with Charlie Anderson's family. When she answered in the affirmative, he introduced himself and the conversation was off and running. When I came out to find Kathy, I was completely caught off guard and struggled to put the right name with his face, after nearly twenty years since last seeing him when we moved away from this area. After a quick refresh of my memory, Jay and I spent nearly the next hour standing next to Charlie's bedside talking about his current life, family, and of course our shared past. Charlie was still very much feeling the after-effects of the anesthesia during our conversation, but apparently he was somewhat coherent because at one point he brightened suddenly and did his best to clear up the details we were apparently skipping over. I told Jay that Charlie still tells "Jay stories" at times in our Community Group, and he replied that he sometimes uses recalled incidents of Charlie and the White Plains youth group as sermon illustrations. He related how a "failed" Bible study one summer (Jay was the only teen to show up) was the first step toward him gaining a true understanding of the Word. Tuesday night in that hospital room, he thanked Charlie for taking the time to study Philippians with him verse by verse and show him that it really is possible to "get it" and to apply those truths of scripture to real life.


No one in their right mind would want to experience major surgery and all its associated ups and downs, but if it comes with as rich a reward as these two special people brought us this week, it would all be worth it.