#ok I gotta stop and go eat my lunch before I turn into a slobbering mess at my desk

[cultivating-wildflowers]

Pardon the oozing sentimentality, but some of my "virtual" relationships over the years feel fated, insofar as orchestrated by God, and it's got me kind of misty-eyed today.

I met my writing group upwards of six years ago, and it was all by chance. Six years later, I have most of their addresses. We all watched the livestream of one of their graduations. I'm in another's wedding. Another may be going to the ren fest with me. We've done weekend meetups. We have a prayer request chat. We are real friends, honest friends, indelibly linked.

But the wild one is one friend we almost missed. They almost didn't join the group; a friend (we no longer have regular contact with) pulled them in. And they're a core member of the group now. BUT! I also see their artwork ALL THE TIME because several of my tumblr mutuals reblog it. Two completely different spheres, and they're somehow in both!

I've followed one of my newer mutuals for years because I love her artwork. I've shared her stuff with an "IRL" friend. I've picked up book recs and movie recs from her. And a year or so ago, one of the writing girls sent me her insta because it "looked like something I'd like" and I said "HEY I KNOW HER!"

This even happened with one of the writing gang who are on booktok. She posted a reel and a bit later my brother-in-law sent it to his wife my sister, and my sister said "you're not gonna believe this, but that's my and Phoebe's friend".

And it feels like fate. It's like watching someone tie up a boat, and each loop they toss out is one more link securing it to the dock. It's God working the threads and weaving us together, surely and truly.

I'm clearly on a hormone kick but like??? There is something breathtaking about seeing a username on a screen and going "hey, I know you. I know you."

And for all of the friends who remain a name and a funny icon on the screen, the "mutuals" and the kindred hearts, one day we'll be in Heaven and we'll look across that shining space and get to say "hey, I know you".