The Journey Inward

Are there chance encounters?
I don't think so.
I think the Universe puts the people, situations,
lessons, and circumstances we need 
right in our path.

Last week, the Universe brought someone back into my life,
someone who had meant the world to me.
She was my mentor, my hero,
one of my favorite people of all time.

I met her my first year of teaching.
We taught the same transitional primary grade
at different schools and hit it off immediately.
On long days when we had to be back at night,
I'd have dinner at her house with her husband
and daughters.  She was everything I hoped to be
when I “grew up”, my role model for living life with
integrity, honesty, kindness, compassion, joy, and
so much more.  She mentored me as a teacher, as
a new wife, as a mother.  We stayed in touch once I
left the field to be home with my kids.  We met for 
breakfast once or twice and I always sent Christmas cards.

And then I moved and somehow the communication 
dropped off, though I still spoke about her and the 
influence she had on my life.

While working in a brand new teacher's room two weeks ago,
I told her about my unofficial mentor 
and how lucky I'd been to have her.
This new teacher lived in the town I'd started my career in, 
so I told her my mentor's name and she exclaimed,
"She was my kindergarten teacher!  We’ve stayed in touch!  
I text with her all the time!”
I sent her pictures from my old photo albums later,
and we sent Nancy a selfie of us the next day.
She shared our contact information.

Last week we spoke by phone for over an hour!  We caught up on
kids, grandkids, careers, parents, husbands, hobbies,
injuries, surgeries and recalled so many fond memories.
Our coffee and dinner date is set for two weeks from now
and I can't wait!  Her voice sounds exactly the same and 
I know her sweet face will be just as I remember it 
when I met her 33 years ago.

The Universe knows what we need and what we want
and it puts people in our path to help us find our way to
each other and to our next steps and to our best selves.
I am so grateful to be back in touch with a woman 
who had such a profound effect on me.  
I wish everyone a Nancy.