Make New Friends...It's a Small World...

Two childhood songs come to mind as I start this post. One I learned in Girl Scouts, "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other's gold..." The other is the infamous Disney tune, "It's a small world after all. It's a small world after all. It's a small world after all. It's a small, small world..."

Tonight I had the wonderful blessing of a coffee date with this beautiful lady, who also happens to be my newest friend:

Meet Jaclyn! She and I have known of each other for several years. Humor me while I give you some background facts:
* Colin and I met Jaclyn's parents (Jack & Cheryl) shortly after we married. Jack and Cheryl were the shepherding couple for our newly marrieds class at church, and we quickly formed a great bond with them. They were our first mentors, and they continue to be in our lives and hold a special place in our hearts. In fact, Jack is one of my few loyal male followers on the blog!
* Of Jack and Cheryl's three daughters, I got to know Jenny (the youngest) first, and in 2006 she married my best friend Ronda's brother-in-law. What a precious couple!
* Jaclyn and I are related! Well, kind of... Jaclyn’s aunt is married to Colin’s distant cousin, whom we’ve crossed paths with several times at family reunions.
* And on top of all that, my brother Adam's roommate last year was Jaclyn's brother-in-law. Craziness I tell you!!

(If you followed all of that, you are very smart!)

Jaclyn and I have met in passing on a few occasions. One of my first memories of Jaclyn was at Jenny's bridal shower at Cypress Bible. I went into the restroom after the shower and found Jaclyn and Ronda doing the "ring test" over Jaclyn's newly pregnant belly. (You know, the old wives' tale that if you hang a gold ring from a string over a pregnant belly that the direction in which the ring swings will indicate the sex of the baby). So funny!

Anyways, I think it was only a matter of time before our paths crossed in a real way and a friendship blossomed. The blog world was the first catalyst to make this happen. She and I have gotten to know each other over the past couple of months by keeping up with each other's blogs. (Click here to read her blog. She has a beautiful daughter Grace Parker that is beyond precious!).

Jaclyn’s encouragement has meant so much to me through the latest chapter in my fertility journey. She was always there, faithfully reading my blog updates and leaving encouraging comments, and she consistently prayed for us and encouraged others to pray for us too. She has one of the most beautiful hearts I have ever encountered, seriously. Although she cannot personally relate to my circumstances, the Lord has given her such an open and soft heart that allows her to really get involved in other's lives. She is one of the few people that I feel can almost fully appreciate the pain, the joy, the sorrow of the emotional rollercoaster called infertility, even though she's not ever stepped foot on the ride herself.

Tonight Jaclyn and I met at Starbucks. It was our first “date,” so to speak! I am so grateful that she initiated this meeting. We had a great time getting to know one another, laughing, and sharing our hearts. I left completely encouraged.

I am blessed to call her my newest friend, and I am grateful that our small worlds collided tonight!