The mystery of the stranger at the wedding
It was great to be able to visit with Michael’s friends from days gone by and visit a few feet of his memory lane with Angela.
He was especially grateful to reconnect with Jean and Christine. Christine was the head nurse at the hospital and a great mentor, both professionally and in her Christian witness. She served as our guide, showing us around the changes that have occurred since Michael last worked with her over 24 years ago. Jean, a kind grandparent figure now months shy of her 100th birthday, always possessed a positive, grounded spirit, and Michael would regularly visit with her and benefit from her smile and wise words.
Friday night at Vespers, we heard a middle-aged Spaniard share his testimony, which included a story about a short visit to Canada. Angela approached him afterwards and engaged him in conversation. When Michael approached him, they looked at each other, then exclaimed simultaneously, “you look familiar!”.
Back in 1991, Michael was in Paris and was introduced by a mutual friend (Alessandro) to the chef (Jose) at the Country Life restaurant where he was having lunch. Six months later, Alessandro was visiting Michael in Atlanta, and invited him to Jose’s wedding, just outside of Chattanooga. It was while celebrating Jose’s wedding that Michael learned about Wildwood Lifestyle Center. Months later, Michael relocated to northern Georgia and enrolled in the Center’s missionary training program.
It turns out that this Spaniard that Angela was speaking with was Jose! But it doesn’t end there. While doing mission work in Madagascar, Jose and his wife Anna Marie lost almost all of their possessions in a hurricane. About the only thing that survived was a wedding photo album. Jose took us to his home, introduced us to his wife and daughter and pulled out the album. Anna Marie was thrilled to finally learn who the stranger was in her wedding photos!
It was a great visit, and it gave us a couple of days to dry off and relax before gearing up for the ride home.
