07/15/04: It's a small world after all

My Grandma Werking wanted to share this "small world" story with everyone. What a neat coincidence!

Last night we had an amazing "small world" experience that my brother and sisters can appreciate, given that we all grew up in Lancaster, PA.  Yesterday afternoon Glenn and I drove down to Baltimore to see the kids. Erin's mother Terry has been there for the week, and we all had a wonderful visit.  The baby is beautiful and starting to be awake a little more, though he is only 11 days old. When Kyle got home from work we visited a short while then had an early dinner.

A couple weeks before Jackson was born, Kyle and Erin joined a church in Baltimore, down in Inner Harbor. The church is Christ Luthern.  Kyle grew up in Christ Presbyterian. The church has a Wednesday evening service, and Kyle and Erin wanted to go.  So we packed up the baby, got in two cars and off we went to church.

It is a beautiful big church built around 1896.  I was mesmerized by the pastor - a good story teller and quite handsome.  He is tall and thin with snow-white hair and beard.  We thoroughly enjoyed the service.  We were almost the last people out of the small chapel, and as we approached the pastor, Terry introduced herself as Erin's mother and Jackson's grandmother.  He thought that was wonderful she was there.  We were next and introduced ourselves as Kyle's parents and Jackson's grandparents. Again he was thrilled to have us there.  

Then Glenn asked if he had any relatives in York, because Glenn had graduated with a boy with the same last name, but he said "no, my family is in Lancaster."  I asked if he was related to Fries Florist.  He literally did a double-take and said, "Yesssss, but how do you know them?"  So I explained the Lancaster connection.  Fries is the florist that did my wedding flowers, and also where my father got Easter corsages for my mother and me and my sisters every year.  Pastor Fries grew up a couple blocks from where I grew up!  

It was an amazing discovery and quite a nice surprise. I feel he will be of great support to the kids.  He is such a nice man.  So as I said in the beginning, this is really a small world after all.