SURPRISE

Do not protect yourself by a fence, but rather by your friends.
- Czech Proverb

Unbeknownst to me, my wife has been sneaking around. I had no idea. I was stunned. She had never done anything like this before so I was caught completely off guard. I was blindsided, just as she had planned.

She threw me a surprise birthday party.

We walked into a restaurant after church Sunday ostensibly to meet a friend for lunch. Sort of a spur of the moment get together. We walked in and my wife got to the hostess before me and said something I couldn’t hear. The hostess then walked us through the restaurant toward the back where we turned a corner into a private room filled with a few dozen friends all waiting to surprise me. And surprise me they did. I was floored. It was wonderful.

It was a bit crowded in the room so people had to squeeze in to fit around the tables. Still, it was great. I looked around at all the friends and wondered at my good fortune.

Jay Leno once said, “Go through your phone book, call people and ask them to drive you to the airport. The ones who will drive you are your true friends. The rest aren’t bad people; they’re just acquaintances.” I believe everyone gathered for the party would not only drive me to the airport (because, after all, that might only mean they are anxious to get rid of me) but would also pick me up upon my return.


(To send Brad an email: click on his photo at the top right of this web page and then click “email.”)