So...the story of Miriam. It was early last December I believe. Derek and I made our way into the sanctuary at church after depositing Micki at her class. We'd just sat down when somebody came up to me and in this soft little voice said "excuse me, is your name Melissa?". I looked up and immediately knew who she was. "Miriam?" I said. It so happened that Miriam's husband Tom saw me walking into church and told Miriam "I think that's Melissa Kerr. Bud and Bonny's daughter." He had her chase me down, and sure enough, that's who I was (although my last name has changed).

I have known Tom and Miriam since I was about 9 years old. They lived in Portland and started traveling back and forth to Bend because they planned on moving there when they got married. Our church, Cascade Christian Fellowship (CCF) was a small transplant church from the 5,000+ member Bible Temple church they went to in Portland. They got married at age 18 and 19, why I remember that, I don't know. Anyway, they moved to Central Oregon and my parents took them under their wings like they were their own kids. Miriam was constantly at our house and my dad and Tom worked together in construction, they were like family. Miriam played the violin and tamborine in church and she became my first violin teacher. Tom became one of the worship leaders, my favorite and I loved when he would bring out his guitar and play, especially when we would go on camp outs. They became parents to Benji and then Anna (now she's called Julie, her first name). I have babysat those kids many times, especially Benji. They moved away (to Salem I think) when Anna was about 2 or 3, I was a teenager by now. I know my parents kept in semi contact with them, and my dad had even dropped in and paid them a visit when Miriam went into labor with her youngest child Shannon.

The next time I saw them was when my dad put together a church renunion campout over 4th of July weekend in 1998. Micki was a baby and Derek was 3. We saw a lot of people I hadn't seen in years and years that weekend. It was fun, a little overwhelming for Chad who didn't know who the heck all these people were. I found out that Tom and Miriam were pastoring a church in Eastern Oregon and that's the last I heard of them until last December. Turns out they moved to Medford right before summer last year and started going to my church just a couple of weeks before they saw me there. Talk about small world. They had lived in Eastern Oregon for 13 years and felt a tug to move, so here they are. Tom's brother lives here and his mom is in Grants Pass, which is where he is originally from. (30 miles away)

I was so excited, I phoned my mom, my brother, my uncle, my grandma... "guess who goes to my church?". They all think it's great and can't wait to visit with them when they see me next. My brother was super excited, turns out he works with several of their friends at ccli. One in particular was really good friends with Miriam's sister Julia, who sadly passed away last fall, her youngest is only 11. Mike (my brother) lived with Steve and Julia in Portland when he went to Portland State University.

Their kids are all grown up now, I think there are 4, two boys and two girls, a granddaughter and another on the way via Julie.

I know it is long, but that is the story of Miriam and how we came to be back in each other's lives. It is amazing what a small world this really is.