Devious Surprising

This almost relates back to my last post, (which was, in fact, more than a month ago. I apologize.) My other triplet/blogosphere doppelganger, who can be found here, as well as the one referenced in my last blog who can still be found here are doing a connecting series of blogs. We're doing it purposefully this time too rather than me just copying an idea stolen from Zella and suggesting that D do the same.

You see, a year ago this week Emily and I surprised Dorothy with a visit. Anyone who doesn't know me well enough to know that most of my friends don't live in the same state as I do would say "Okay, that's nice, what's the big deal?" Well, to begin with these are both people I met online. We all three met on the Narnia forum "The Dancing Lawn" many years ago. Emily and I met first and decided that we were so much alike we must be twins. Later Dorothy joined and momentously it was suggested that we should become triplets because D was obviously cool enough to be one of us.

So there we were, awesome friends online who barely even knew where each of the others lived. It took me way too long to realize that Emily and I lived only 45 minutes from each other... Unfortunately D lives more than 9 hours away from us, making visiting a little difficult. Nonetheless, we had decided that it was going to happen last year.

This is where I suddenly decided to start thinking big. I truly, honestly do not usually do this. The exception to this rule is about surprises. I love surprises. I love them and will do abnormal things to pull them off. I've only pulled off a few notable ones; converting a pre-existing birthday party to a surprise party, a surprise visit from four hours away and of course, a surprise visit from nine hours away.

It was complicated, it involved emailing D's sister and rearranging schedules and some very complicated driving schemes by me and plot-naming. (It was called Operation Come Along Pond, this video made by Emily is a wonderful recap of it. I'm not going to recap, D already did that in her own amazing way and Emily did it a fair amount in her blog too. Read theirs.)

It was also amazing. The surprise was completely worth it and more. Emily and I thought through many scenarios about how we could reveal ourselves, as she describes in her blog (and D from her perspective in hers) we got there and figured out that she was sleeping. I led the way into her room and sat down on her bed, trying to seem like this was a perfectly normal thing to do. Her face when she saw me was priceless, there is an excellent screencap of it in the video, I did happen to be holding a video camera at the time.

What I probably can't convey to you very well is the amount of wonderful emotions that went into and around that first surprised look. We had spent months planning the surprise and there were so many ways it could have gone wrong. She could have figured it out before hand and she could have looked smugly confirmed in her suspicions. In some impossible turn of events she could be not thrilled to see us or her family could not be thrilled to see us.

But no, she was completely and utterly surprised, hadn't suspected a thing. She was also visibly and radiantly happy about it, though a bit shocked (and thus needing a blanket.) Her family was also awesome and happy. For me it was a relief and a culmination of months of anticipation and planning plus years of hoping and trying to meet each other. It's one of those moments you couldn't manufacture or recreate and could barely wish for.

My blogs always rabbit trail, I won't disappoint you now. My rabbit trail is about surprises. I've had discussion about the various "Love Languages", that's a popular book or something. I hear about them and go, "Well, I think all of those apply to me. That's very helpful... not." But if I had to make up my own love language I would choose surprises. I try to surprise people I love all the time. My budget is limited but if you admire something while shopping I've been known to snag it and buy it when you're not looking and you'll find it in your room later. *Cough*Roommate problems, we both do this*cough*. Some people have got the "Guess what????" text which, for the record, is almost always followed with "I love you" out of the blue.

I was trying to think about why I feel that surprises are so important. The person to whom I would like to show the most love, God, can't be surprised. He is, however, the expert at surprising. Some of my happiest moments come from those silly times when I desperately want something but think it's too ridiculous so I don't even ask God for it. His response is to give me that thing and more. Better yet, he responds with something I never would have thought to ask for, enter the surprise. How silly can I get? He knows I want that thing so why don't I just ask him? I know he'll follow through with something better in time anyway.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that surprises feel like a way of trying to imitate God's love for us. It's great to surprise something by giving them something they never would have even thought to ask for, you may even end up being a part of God's surprise for them, an answer to their prayer they never even prayed.

Behold, the crowning mercies melt,

The first surprises stay;

And in my dross is dropped a gift

For which I dare not pray:

That a man grow used to grief and joy

But not to night and day.

“A Second Childhood.” - G.K. Chesterton