A funny thing happened on the way to the interview room…
We’re both attendees at the Florida Christian Writers Conference. And we’re strangers. She’s exiting the room where authors are meeting agents/editors/publishers. I’m in the hallway—nervously waiting my turn to enter this room.
She smiles at me. I glance at her name tag and say, “Good morning, Karen.” She looks at my name tag and echoes a warm greeting. And then we notice it—our surnames. They are very similar. Not identical, but so similar that we both do a double take. Hmm.
Where I have an o in my last name, Karen has an a. I blurt out, “Are your husband’s folks originally from southeast Pennsylvania? Have you ever heard of Pfungstadt, Germany?” With a strange expression on her face, Karen responds, “Uh, yes. How do you know all that?” Karen and I make plans to meet for lunch.
At this point, Karen does not know that I dabble in genealogy. Long genealogical story made short . . . our husbands are cousins. Five brothers immigrated to America from Germany in 1727. Karen’s husband descends from one of the brothers, and my husband descends from one of the other brothers. Gary’s ancestors settled in southeast Pennsylvania and stayed put. John’s folks initially settled in southeast Pennsylvania, and then, . . . headed for western North Carolina.
Why did my husband’s ancestor move? Was there a big family fight? Did his wife have relatives in North Carolina? Or perhaps there was just too much shared DNA occupying adjacent farms? I suppose we’ll never know the reason.
“Friends and Cousins”
Gary, Karen, Nan, & John (L to R)
Florida Christian Writers Conference
Lake Yale, Florida
Photo credit: Maria Gosa (2023)
Back to our lunch meeting . . .
You know how when you share a meal with someone for the first time, it can be pretty awkward—at least for several minutes. Well, that’s not what happened in this case. It was not awkward for even a millisecond. Instant friendship. Probably because Karen is warm, welcoming, and has a great sense of humor.
At suppertime, we ate together again—and this time our husbands joined us. Karen and I introduced the cousins to each other and rehashed the story of our hallway meeting from earlier in the day. Laughter ensued. Lots of laughter.
Some folks call this sort of meeting a coincidence or dumb luck. NO WAY! It’s a “God thing.” I believe that God routinely brings strangers together in unexpected ways and at unexpected times. Karen and I were surprised to discover each other in Florida. God was not surprised in the least.
Here’s the wonderful truth—HIS timing is always perfect. I don’t know about you, but my timing is oftentimes lousy. Okay, truth be told, it’s usually lousy. I prefer that the things I want to happen—happen right NOW. If they could have happened yesterday, that would have been even better! Sound familiar? Perhaps you know someone just like me.
“Suppertime”
Williamsburg, Va.
Photo credit: A waiter named Andrew (2024)
Have we stayed connected? YES! Text messaging and Facebook are great, but they are a poor substitute for time spent together in person. We’re so grateful that Karen and Gary recently vacationed in Williamsburg, Va.—just a short drive from Richmond. What a blessing to see them again. God is good . . . all the time. All the time . . . God is good.
Take a look at the guys. Maybe it’s just my imagination, but I’m beginning to think that John and Gary look alike. Can you see the resemblance? :)