An Unexpected Treasure

 Pulling up to my house this afternoon, 

an older woman and gentleman were just getting into their car parked out front.

As I pulled into the driveway, the woman waved me down.
"I was born and raised in the home that used to be here!"

Rebecca, her husband and their daughter, Kirstin were in Utah 

visiting an aging aunt and also old family history sites.

What a thrill it was to get to meet them! 

Of course I invited them to walk around the yard and ran inside to get Dan so he could meet them too.

We walked down to the river and had a wonderful visit learning about their family.

Rebecca left Utah to go to college in California where she met her now husband. 

They were married in her (our!) backyard next to an old caboose 

(her grandfather, living next door, was CEO of the railroad). 

I'd heard of the caboose in the yard previously from a neighbor (who has the water rights of the irrigation that runs through the yard) and learned they're first cousins. 

Rebecca and her husband relocated to Maine and raised their two daughters there. 

The daughter I met, Kirstin, is my age and has a daughter in undergrad at NYU and a 17-year-old son.

She also is a professor of Women's Lit and poetry in Illinois. 

So fun to meet strangers who are actually not-yet-met friends and to have things in common.

My favorite part of meeting was learning that two of the blue spruces in the front yard were planted in honor of Rebecca and her sister, Kathy, when they were born! What a delightful story to know about our trees! Of course we'll officially refer to them as "Rebecca" and "Kathy" from now on!

They were a warm and friendly family and said the same about us. 

We were both teary about the serendipitous meeting. They had spent time walking down the street and even got the courage to ring our doorbell, but Dan was working out in the gym so didn't hear it.

I pulled in the driveway just as they were about to leave. 

One minute difference and we wouldn't have met! 

As they left they said this homesite clearly has great energy and clearly attracts wonderful people.

I asked them to send a photo of their wedding in front of the caboose.

I hope they do! They feel like family!