An unexpected gift

The other day my friend Kimberly and I met at my neighborhood Panera for lunch. While we were there, they breezed in...and they had "the look." You know. The "band" look. And I knew...


He didn't stay...but they did. In fact, they sat at the table right next to us.

I wondered why he was in town...although his hometown is not that far from here, I couldn't imagine he was just hanging out. So, I googled. And then I really knew!

Which led Kimberly and I here the following evening...


A little hole in the wall deli at the oceanfront where my Sweet Hubby and I had enjoyed lunch many an afternoon.

We listened. And I remembered why my Sweet Hubby and I were fans. Why we voted. Why we cheered him on week after week. Why we went to see him when they toured.

And I couldn't help but think as I sat there that night that this was all a gift...oh - I enjoyed every note.


The only way it could have been better was if my Sweet Hubby had been there, holding my hand, and enjoying the music too. With his earplugs in...lol. He liked to tease me that my love of live music cost him his hearing (sorry Building 429!). Oops!

He was just as kind as I knew he'd be...truly grateful for all he's been given; all the opportunities he's been afforded. And while he doesn't live in Virginia anymore, he says it'll always be where his heart is - where he calls home and that he does get back to Richmond on occasion. I told him I'll be looking for him when I visit my son in Richmond...who knows - maybe we'll wave! He laughed and said, "that'll be great!" Nice man. Mama's smiling for sure...

I left with a souvenir to remind me of happier days...times spent watching a young man named Elliott Yamin from Richmond, Virginia pursue his dreams of a music career on a show called American Idol. And how my Sweet Hubby and I rooted for him week after week. Watching him improve, both musically and in his self-confidence. Simpler times, when the biggest stressor of the evening was "did we get enough votes in to keep him in the competition?!" So somehow, this just felt right...



And sweetheart? Thank you for the gift.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV