intertwine

Sometimes I marvel at how our lives intertwine. This past spring I took a creative writing class with my friend Janice, taught by Millicent, a mutual friend of ours. Millicent and I have been acquaintances for years and have recently become friends. The class was filled with seasoned writers and wanna-be authors like me. 

Two young sisters who were attending captured the hearts of the gray-haired students. They captivated us with their creative stories and poems. Because we developed a bond in the class, we exchanged phone numbers and keep in touch. 

Last week, when we got together for lunch, Janette shared that she was excited about her first teaching job in North Carolina. Katrina, the 17-year-old, told me she helps a church friend, Debbie, with her baking business on Thursdays. She mostly works on packaging baked goods and enjoys the day visiting with Debbie. Debbie sells baked goods, jams, and jellies, and other fare every Saturday at the corner of Highways 41 and 53 in Calhoun, Georgia. 

This past Saturday, my friend Janice and I were driving past that very intersection on our way to our friend, Vickie’s, book signing. Janice introduced me to Vickie two years ago. I noticed Debbie sitting out by a trailer. I told Janice about Debbie and wondered if we should turn around right away or come back. We turned around because we didn’t know if Debbie would be there on our way back.

We stopped and introduced ourselves to Debbie. Debbie said she has been doing this for eleven years. She explained the jams, jellies, dressings, and sauces were from friends in Ohio, but she made all the baked goods on Thursday. On Fridays she sets up shop at a tire store in nearby Nickelsville, and she sits on this corner in Calhoun every Saturday until 2:00. My watch read 2:30. Debbie hadn’t sold out, so she stayed longer. If she had sold out by 2:00, Janice and I would not have met her. 

Debbie said in August 2012 she proclaimed she wanted to “make life sweet.” She wanted to reach everyone and spread cheer and love and hope. Debbie’s Country Pantry, which began with a van and a tent, has grown into a truck and a walk-in trailer from which Debbie can “put smiles on people’s faces.” Her business is not centered on making money, but as an opportunity to touch lives with her sweetness. Who doesn’t love a pecan pie or a blueberry roll delight? 

To come full circle, if I hadn’t taken Millicent’s writing class, I would not have met Janette and Katrina, who introduced me to Debbie, who I am now introducing to you. And if Janice hadn’t introduced me to Vickie, we would not have been driving through Calhoun that Saturday. I marvel at the interconnections of our lives. Do you have an unusual story about how you met someone? Please comment below.