Emphasis Preaching Journal

Day before yesterday Diana had bid farewell to Harriet, her friend of 42 years. Now, as she carefully chose the suit she would wear to Harriet's funeral, Diana thought back to the first time they had met. They had both been invited to a mutual friend's 30th birthday party. Diana had been introduced to Harriet when she arrived; Diana had NOT been impressed. She smiled as she remembered how Harriet had looked that day -- sort of frumpy in an unstylish outfit that didn't do a thing for her less-than-good looks. Harriet had struck her as one of those people you just sort of avoided, not out of meanness, but from lack of interest. But following the party, circumstances had kept throwing the two of them together. Their children attended the same school; their daughters were in the same Girl Scout troop; they both volunteered for the talent show that had been put on to raise funds for the local library. The more they were together, the more Diana began to notice the person, Harriet, beneath her less-
than-remarkable outward appearance. In fact, not only did Diana notice, but she discovered she actually liked Harriet. They had become fast friends. How often over the years she had recalled their first meeting as a reminder to herself to "never judge a book by its cover." What a blessing Harriet had been; how tremendously rich life had been with such a friend -- a friend she almost never knew because she herself had been so unaware. As she finished dressing, Diana whispered a prayer of gratitude that through coincidence or grace she and Harriet had continued to cross paths until she finally saw this beautiful person with her heart instead of her eyes. -- Fannin