Doors... Windows... Families

I think we all have heard that saying "when one door closes a window opens"? Or something to that effect anyway.. well that is what has happened in my life in the last 3 days. Doors closing, windows opening, no one telling me the screens were still in the windows and through this all I have smiled I have cried but mostly have just been shaking my head all weekend.

First the good news... I was checking my mail and there was one by someone I did not recognize the name and almost deleted it till I noticed a familiar name in the subject box. Here was a cousin of my mom's who had found me through a family web site that someone in that line had done. I had gotten the website admins' name from another cousin of my mom's that I had been speaking to since early summer. We had been exchanging family information on that line.

So that was 2 new cousins I had never spoken to before this summer.. add the new one on the weekend and now we have 3.. count them ONE TWO THREE!! I was squealing so loud that Keith came running in the room to see what was wrong and then just snorts when I told him and he just left the room as if to say ok when will I learn not to come running when Sally squeals while on the computer!

I sat here and read and reread the email I don't know how many times. She had even sent pictures so I had to check all my cousins out (Nice to know good looks runs in the same family hehehe). I had tears coming down my cheeks I was so thrilled. Whoever said the internet was an evil thing obviously was not here on Saturday. It was a great thing.. the window part of the closed door part of my weekend. I had already posted that I had missed out on my trip to Seattle because I had misplaced my birth certificate which I still have not found by the way.

But as great as that has been for me, there was still one more window that opened after a door closed this weekend. I got a call last week to come in for a meeting. I volunteer part time at the family history centre helping others with their genealogy. Funny how I can so easily help others plow through their brick walls but that one of mine, Marie Louise Cloure, sure refuses to budge. Anyway, I was asked to become the new Director of the Family History Centre. Are you kidding me? The first thing out of my mouth was "I don't think my feet are big enough to fill her shoes" which is funny ironic as I wear a size 11 shoe but he just looked at me and said we are not expecting you to fill her shoes we expect you to wear your own shoes.

Today in a meeting of hundreds of people the other Director stood as she was released from her calling and I was asked to stand as I was introduced as the new Director. She was about 15 or so rows ahead of me but she turned around when my name was called and I blew her a big kiss which she returned. People must have thought we were weird. Well we are what can I say? At times in life as women (at least in my little mind) we have what I call "almost sisters". These are women that for some reason are instantly bonded to you in life even from the very first moment that you meet. Something just clicks right. She clicked right with me right from the first day we met.

After the meeting I went and found her and we hugged. All weekend I have been shaking my head thinking how the heck am I going to do this. There are others that work there that have been there for years.. why not call them to do this work? I talk too much, I ask too many questions, I am too much of a perfectionist, I step on toes at times.. why me? I guess God has His reasons. I got an email from another of my almost sister Carmen and she put things into perspective which she always does.

So I didn't get to go to Seattle, I lost the folder that held not only my birth certificate but also the baby pictures of my 12 grandchildren (get it? birth certificate... birth pictures? I know I know I am weird), but I found a new cousin, a new job and an almost sister. What more could a woman ask for these days?