happy accidents
April 14, 2012 § 2 Comments
Yesterday was scattered with serendipitous moments of friendship and I pause this morning to reflect on the power of a conversation, a genuine moment of stillness that allows us to connect with another soul over a simple greeting. Like an invisible thread fate stitches stories with patchwork personalities; people who share similar journeys, others who inspire action, some who share passion. People pass through my days and I marvel at the blessing of their stories.
In the moments just before school began, watching my daughter walk towards the front doors yesterday, I turned and paused to say hello to a school aide only to find myself quickly wrapped in an intimate conversation centered in the unique challenges we share as mothers of daughters with a common special need that complicates school days. A simple greeting had gifted me a moment of connection to a woman who before that conversation I did not know. Our stories are unique, but the shared spaces inspire an awareness that lends both strength and comfort, hope and celebration.
I was still reflecting on my good fortune when I crossed paths an hour later with a woman I had lost touch with amid the unceremonious busyness of school and home. I met this woman in the chaotic space of preschool activities, sharing conversations on motherhood over park playdates with our children. Between the aisles of our checkout lanes and over her shopping cart we caught up and made new promises to share pieces of our summer vacation at a park. Again, a simple greeting had gifted me the company of a friend; a woman who accompanies me on my journey through motherhood.
These happy accidents of friendship occur with amusing frequency. At the local YMCA on a climbing wall, the outdoor pool under a summer sun, on airplanes, at a local bakery over an order of cookies; in unexpectedly common places I find myself in the company of compassion born of experience. Mothers and children who share a journey similar to my family’s find their way into our lives with a predictability that has not escaped me. Today, I celebrate years of conversations and friendships born of a genuine, unhurried hello.
scribblechic 
Nice to value the true blessings… for just what they are.
I like to stack them, much like my children’s rock collections. Blessings like pebbles, tiny treasures that weigh me in gratitude.