One of the joys of last week's intensive that I haven't written much about was the chance to meet a blogging friend in real life. In a time that feels very long ago now, there was a group called RevGalsBlogPals, a group for clergywomen and people who support clergywomen. We blogged about all sorts of things, some of them church related, some not. There were all sorts of support groups and there were conferences and fun outings. I was sad to see it end, and like so many things in my life that end, part of me understood and part of me was baffled.
I've continued to see various RevGals in the online realm, but last week, one of them came to the intensive. I knew that Diane Roth had started the program, but I lost track of her progress; in retrospect, I should have sent her a message in advance so that it was less awkward on that first day. I saw her nametag before she got there, but I wasn't sure how to say, "I know you online, but I'm not sure if you know me." Sure, in retrospect, I should have just said that, but I was worried I might sound like a weird stalker.
Happily, Diane took the first step, and she did it during the pre-dinner meet and greet, which meant that we could spend the rest of the intensive as friends, not as people wondering how they knew each other. On Friday at lunch, she asked what I was planning to do during our free time. I talked about going to the library, and she wanted to go to an independent bookstore. She tries to go to independent bookstores as she travels, and I'm happy to support bookstores too. I had a car, which she didn't, and I'm familiar with Columbia. It was a recipe for a successful outing to All Good Books in Five Points.
And we did have a successful outing. The bookstore had a great selection of books, and we both found one to buy. I was happy to find Susan Rich's latest book; I love supporting poets and independent books by buying books from bookstores.
Alas, we didn't have time to buy a coffee or to explore Five Points. We had to get back for more instructional sessions, which after all, was the reason we had come to the seminary campus. I was happy to post this picture to Facebook, happy to be part of my favorite subgenre of FB posts, when online friends meet in real life and realize that they are just as delightful in person as online:
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