Wonderful Accident

It was a wonderful accident, the way we met. Not that we met, for surely God had a hand in it. I think the way it happened was that Sharon sent out an email to a great long list of people from her address book, and Frank -- god bless him -- hit "reply to all" instead of "reply" when he sent Sharon that first poem. At least that is the way I remember it. He may remember it differently.

. . . .

So anyway, I opened this email from an unfamiliar address. And there was this poem. I've written before that I don't appreciate poetry. Perhaps it is a character weakness; maybe just a matter of personal taste. Don't appreciate opera either. Or scotch. Or pumpkin pie. But back to Frank.

. . . .

The poem was unexpected. It was simple. It was beautiful. And I had no idea why this stranger was sending it to me. I looked through the long list of recipients for a clue and finally found Sharon's email. So I inquired.

. . . .

"He's harmless," she replied. (Oh, he'd be SO offended!) He had been a member of the congregation she had previously served. So I wrote back to tell him how much I liked the poem. And he send me another. And another. And I wrote to tell him what I was quilting. And one day he and his wife came to lunch. And we all got along.

. . . .

I don't know how many years it has been. Six or seven, anyway. Every once in a random while, the flag in my mailbox will bear his name, and I'll know there is another gem for me to read. I've shared them with friends. With family. And it is still about the only poetry that I like.

. . . .

Last summer, after I became a blogger, it occurred to me that this treasure should be shared! So I propositioned my friend, and he agreed -- we'd start a blog together! I never knew whether he really wanted to blog or was just delighted to have been propositioned. Anyway, he'd provide the poems and I'd find illustrations and post them. We've had a wonderful time. I still have a file of poems to post; it is, of course, a matter of finding the time.

. . . .

How do you tell someone that he has touched your life? That wasn't hard to figure out. The Bento Box quilt, from the time I started it, seemed destined for him. It is a simple pattern, like his simple poems. It is the right size to go over a lap in a wheel chair, or to take a nap under on a couch. I used Marsha's X-knot technique to tie it.

. . . .

I sent it to him on Saturday. And now it is his turn to find something unexpected in his mailbox.