Lisa meets Lisa

You have probably been wondering where I’ve been the last five days. Oh, I have been busy! Doing an event in Eugene. Fighting with my husband. Driving to California to meet Lisa.

The highlight of this time, and definitely the only part worth talking about, was the California/Lisa part. For those of you who might not know, Lisa (cw2smom) is an Aol Journaler who lives in California. She just recently lost her dad, after immersing herself in one of the most soul-wrenching, difficult, selfless and ultimately triumphant acts on the planet—helping a loved one die at home. Having done the same with my dad, I had been trying to stick with her through it, and impart what few tidbits of wisdom and insight my experience had provided.

Well, last week, as Lisa was wading through some last loose ends related to her dad’s passing, she and I got to instant messaging one night. She said, "Wait, you live in Oregon, don’t you?" I typed back in the affirmative… She proceeded to tell me that she would be spending a few days with family just outside of Brookings (a coastal town at the far southern tip of Oregon, a few miles from the California border), and it would be awfully nice if we could get together for coffee or something. Well, I live about as far from there as you can get, and still be in Oregon…just a few miles south of the Washington border. Which would seem to have put the kabosh on that idea… But, as luck would have it, we were going to be in Eugene for an event on Sunday… almost half-way there. The next thing I knew, I was planning a five-hour drive south from Eugene, for an afternoon rendezvous with a friend I had never actually met. And yet, I felt so drawn to her, by virtue of our similar experiences with our dads.

Okay, long explanation for short trip. But it was SO fun. The quirky Oregon weather cooperated beautifully. It was sunny and warm…the ocean was, naturally, gorgeous. And Lisa and her friend Trish were SO gracious and made me feel like we had known each other for years. Lisa treated me to a great Mexican lunch, and we sat at the restaurant and talked until we were afraid they were going to kick us out. Then we went down to the harbor and wandered around in the little shops…found a great place where the proprietor made home-made candles, right there in front of the customers. I admired a great pair of glittery tapers, decided I couldn’t really afford them…only to have Lisa hand them to me as a gift when we walked out of the shop!

Our last few hours together were spent at the beautiful seaside home of her aunt and uncle, who were also gracious and sweet. I got to hear her uncle’s story about refurbishing an abandoned lighthouse, which we could see through binoculars from their deck overlooking the ocean. And they showed me the wonderful earrings her aunt makes to sell at craft shows.

Unfortunately, at 6 pm sharp, I had to tear myself away…I felt like Cinderella running out of the ball! But I had a REALLY long drive ahead of me, in my husband’s car (which I HATE driving…but that’s another story.)

So, anyway, here is OUR chapter in the book of "Real Life Meetings of AOL Journalers ." Very much a success. I highly recommend it!