There are no strangers; only friends you haven’t yet met.
~ William Butler Yeats

Do you know the way to San Jose? I’m hopping on a plane this week to find my way there! I’ve never been to California before, but I’m going to visit a stranger.

A stranger turned into a friend!

William Butler Yeats was right! A year ago Adelle Gabrielson, fellow writer, boy-mom, and lover of shoes, was a total stranger. But in a few days we’re going to meet face-to-face for the first time and attend the Mount Hermon Christian Writer’s Conference together.

Two writers on the opposite sides of the country meet online, become friends, and are going to have a “Thelma and Louise” type of weekend. Well, with a better ending, of course!

Isn’t God crazy?

It amazes me, this social media stuff. Reluctantly, I entered into the blogging world almost two years ago. What’s the point? I thought. I just don’t get it.

Good thing God gets it.

God has allowed me to meet awesome people all over the world. Fellow believers and bloggers I’ve met and chatted with over coffee, worked with on publishing projects, met for play dates at the park, comforted over the phone, and rejoiced with them over good news. In return, they have taught me, inspired me, encouraged me, and supported me.

All because of blogging. That is crazy to me!

The Internet has allowed strangers to become friends with a click of the mouse.

And it has spurred on a friendship that includes a long plane flight and two nervous first-timers at a conference in the Santa Cruz mountains. Eeek! If you hear a “boom-bada-boom” don’t worry … it’s just my racing heartbeat as I step on the plane to San Jose. It’s just my breathing into a paper bag as I meet new friends and launch into a new phase of being a writer.

The Mount Hermon Writer’s Conference is one of the premier conferences for Christian writers. As writers we’ll be challenged, taught, inspired, encouraged by fellow writers, editors, agents, and professionals in the publishing biz. I’m excited, nervous, scared, and anxious!

But I get to experirence it all with a friend. Because months ago, God used blogs and Facebook to bring two strangers together as friends. Thank you, God! And thank you, Adelle!

I’ll update on Twitter and Facebook about the conference and our adventures in the  S anta Cruz mountains!

I hope the song is true: “I’ve got lots of friends in San Jose … Do you know the way to San Jose?
Can’t wait to get back to San Jose.”

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