Chance Encounters
Beautiful new beginnings sometimes arrive unexpectedly.
Hurricane Katrina slammed the U.S. Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, 2005. As a disaster relief volunteer, I knew it wouldn’t be long before my help would be needed. What I didn’t know was this terrible event would set off a series of coincidences that would change my life forever.
On the Friday before I was to leave for Mississippi, I waited in line to have my picture taken for the church directory. The couple just in front of me introduced themselves as Emily and David Purdy. We chatted, and Emily mentioned that David and their son, Michael, would be leaving on a disaster relief trip to Long Beach, Mississippi, the next morning. “What a coincidence!” I exclaimed. “I’m leaving for the same area on Wednesday.”
A week later we ran into each other in a feeding tent on U.S. Route 90 in Pass Christian, Mississippi. David introduced me to his son and asked Michael to take a picture of us, saying, “Your mother will never believe this!” We went our ways, finished our work and returned home.
Emily, I learned the following June, had been diagnosed with cancer. I often mail cards of encouragement, so although I didn’t know her well, I sent her a “thinking of you” card with an uplifting homily inside.
When Emily died 17 months later, I felt called to attend her memorial. Near the end of the
service, David read a card that had touched Emily so deeply she kept it by her bedside throughout her illness. It was the note I had sent. I was shocked!
In the next years, David and I met in passing at church. When someone mentioned that he had started dating, I thought, Good for him. He deserves happiness.
I had been divorced for more than 22 years. My life brimmed with friends and activities. I had no interest in dating.
A short time later, on a church outing, David asked me what I did for fun. My numerous interests overwhelmed him: Civil War history, hiking, kayaking, writing, bowling, quilting and working with children.
Soon after that, he surprised me with a gift combining three of these: a Civil War quilt book! Another thoughtful present followed a few weeks later, as friends and I prepared for a trip. David stopped by with a guidebook, impressing my friends.
When we returned, we found a “welcome home” balloon tied to my door. “I guess my neighbor left this,” I said.
“No,” my friends replied. “It’s from David.” They were right.
Shortly thereafter, I received a note inviting me to dinner at David’s. After I had a mild anxiety attack, my friends persuaded me to accept his invitation, saying, “It’s only a meal, not a lifetime commitment.”
It may not have started as a commitment, but a year later, on July 6, 2011, we were married.
Coincidences? I think not.