Decades ago there was a family friendly show called the Andy Griffith Show played out in Mayberry USA.  Andy was the sheriff of the town with his sidekick Barney Fife.  It was a clean show with lots of laughter and sometimes relevant principles that could be carried into life.

There was one character on the show what was portrayed by the car repair guy, Gomer Pile.  In real life he wasn’t dumb, but on the show he always came across as someone who had a couple of screws loose.  One thing he would say when he came across something unusual was, “Surprise, surprise, surprise.”

I bring up that show and specifically Gomer Pile, because I got truly surprised over July 4, 2017.  I mean really surprised.  Blown out of the water.  Socks blown off kind of surprise.  Let me set the stage.  Nadine and I were going up to Flagstaff for the weekend and we were having Victoria, my middle daughter, come up for the weekend because she didn’t have her two boys.  We got up there Thursday night and she came Friday.  Carter couldn’t come for the weekend because of work,  so it was just going to be the three of us.  She got up to Flag around 9:30 p.m. and we had some down time before we all retired.

Around 7 the next morning, Nadine got up and asked if I wanted to get some coffee and sit on our deck.  I love that time with her and so off she went to make the coffee and I followed after about 2 minutes of waking up.  I came around the corner of our bedroom into the dining/kitchen area and saw Carter, Victoria, Nadine, Debi, and her friend Patty all standing in a row in the kitchen.  All of my kids were there in the kitchen standing with Nadine.  Debi and Patty had flown in from Chicago the night before and Carter had driven them up to Flagstaff to be with the family for the 4th of July.  Surprise.  Shock.  Surreal.  I don’t believe I had ever been as surprised as I was that morning.   Never.  Ever.

Needless to say we had a wonderful time of connection, putting a 1000 piece gig-saw puzzle together, going shopping, playing golf, going to the Grand Canyon.  You name it we did it.  It was the best July 4th I have ever had bare-none.

On this journey there will times when you are pleasantly surprised by life and by relationships.  Drink in the experience as surprises come infrequently and take you unaware.