MEETING FRIENDS - PLANNED AND UNEXPECTED!

I had made arrangements to meet up with Louise today at Jack’s and she was happy to drive in from where she lives.  

Although it’s half term, we both got caught up in traffic, but I arrived just a few minutes before 10 o’clock and was just responding to Louise’s text that she would be late, when she walked in, beaming with that lovely smile of hers.

Just before she arrived, I was shown to a table for two at the back of the coffee shop and who should be sitting at the next table, but two friends.  Mr. HCB and I see Dave, on the left in my collage, regularly, but I hadn’t seen Andy for many years, in fact, since well before the lockdowns.  It’s funny when you see friends after a long time and the years just melt away - I remembered that Andy was always cheeky to me and that hadn’t changed!  Dave is the one who sends me cheeky birthday cards, so between us, as you can imagine, there was a lot of hilarity!

When Louise walked in a few minutes later, I introduced her to them and there was more hilarity.  We were chatting about Louise being a new Christian, and as both the men are Christians, it was a wonderful conversation.  In fact, later, when we were chatting to them before we left, Andy said that as soon as Louise walked in and was smiling, he knew that she had something!  It is so wonderful when others notice the difference in our lives!

I had been chatting to Louise on Sunday and telling her that she could underline as much as she wanted to in the book I had just given her, and said that I often did that.  We then went on to chat about journalling in our Bibles and she said that she wanted to buy a Bible especially so that she could do that.  That thought “pinged” in my head so when we got home, I looked for a Journalling Bible and found the ONE you can see in the top photograph that has beautiful illustrations by Hannah Dunnett, to give to Louise as a gift from Mr. HCB and me.  I think it’s fair to say that Louise was “over the moon” with it and although I already have several New International Versions of the Bible, I decided to treat myself too - actually I count it as a gift from Mr HCB, so I know it will be very special to me. 

When the package arrived on Monday, I decided NOT to open it there and then but to wait until Louise and I met today - and there was much “ooh-ing and ah-ing” from both of us as we looked at the various illustrations and found things in the new Bible that will be so helpful to Louise as a new Christian.  It is also such a blessing to be able to give someone a gift that you can tell they really love!

And what better day to give a gift with love!  Louise arrived carrying the beautiful bouquet of roses, which I was very grateful for - and how fortunate that I had told Mr. HCB NOT to buy me roses yesterday!

All in all, a glorious day so far - when I got home Mr. HCB said that he had done a lot of work in the garden and enjoyed it - so win/win/win/win, I reckon!

So thank you, Louise, Dave and Andy - you made my day - and I'd better include Flo in the coffee shop too! 

P.S.  Just added an extra photograph to show the beautiful roses - I managed to make two large vases, a small jug and a specimen where the rose had broken off.  I shall enjoy them.