It's a Small, Small World

Tonight I had dinner at my favorite feminist/lesbian/vegetarian restaurant (gosh, really, how many of those are there??) with my minister and another minister whom I'd met through those pastoral care and NVC workshops I've raved about.  It was a wonderful evening, even if we were all yawning by the end of it.

But get this:  the minister--the same who gave me the great pimiento cheese recipe--used to live in Chicago, where Mama and I once lived in Lesbianville, er, I mean, Andersonville.  And she attended the last performance at Mountain Moving Coffeehouse, where Mama and I spent so many nights with our friends (and Mama worked sound with L for all the acts).  Which means my new friend saw so many of our old Chicago friends.  She must have heard our dear friend M sing in the chorus that performed.  She might have gotten a rock from P.  She would have seen K get an award for service.  

It's strange, but it is very touching, even healing, to me to have met someone else, someone here, who knew MMCH, had been in that space.  So many of our ties with Chicago have grown slack over time and with the dispersal of certain segments of the community, like MMCH and the gentrification of Andersonville.  And of course, the death of M.  I have some sadness tonight for those good times.  

But also a real sense of happiness to have a new friend.