An Open Thank You Note

An Open Thank You Note

Dear Joyce and Lou,

I had no way of knowing when I called to say I’d be in Ohio delivering a granddaughter to college close to your home, how fortunate I was to have made that call. We agreed to get together, you and I, college buddy of many years ago--for dinner or something—and then Joyce said, “You know, you could say with us.”

I was tagging along with my daughter, Kristin, as she drove her daughter, Ellen, from their home in Cheyenne, Wyoming to begin her senior year at the University of Dayton.  Kristin was excited to meet my friends and so we accepted their kind offer to have us stay.

Two days and 1200 miles later we were being greeted with open arms into a spacious home where you two quenched our travel thirst with big bowls of juicy watermelon before bed. Next morning at your over-the-top welcoming church we joined in belting out Onward Christian Soldiers and America the Beautiful—how could you not love it?

In the afternoon we deposited Ellen at the quaint house she will share with three roommates, joined a roommate and her family for a meal, and then Kristin and I returned to your house for an evening spent chatting and watching a movie.

By the time we left on Monday morning, fortified by bacon, English muffins and a delicious egg casserole, I’d come to know Joyce and Lou in a way I never had before, in their home environment, among the friends who treasure them and for whom they obviously do so much. And Ellen and Kristin had a couple of new friends.

Joyce and Lou, we’d like you to know that because of you two, our cross-country trip became a memorable experience. I only hope that Ellen will leave the University of Dayton with the kind of long-lasting friends Joyce and I made at Ohio Wesleyan so long ago. A group of ten of us still get together every two years to spend a few days for the pure enjoyment of being with each other.

We call ourselves “The Committee” and next fall we’ll gather at Joyce and Lou’s home in Middletown to spend our time together. We have a treat in store. It’s getting harder for some of us to travel but I have my fingers crossed that every one of us will make it to their front door and beyond. It’s a place where hospitality reigns. I don’t want anyone to miss it.

The moral of this story: Don’t plan a casual surprise drop-in when you have friends at your travel destination. I almost did. I’m so glad I let them know we were coming. May your experience be as rich as ours was.

Thank you Joyce and Lou

Libby, Kristin, Ellen