Well, despite the shaking knees and tentative fingers, the time has come for me to join this blogalog and become a blogger myself. This is not entirely the result of direct and unprecedented pressure from that other blog writer who frequents this site, but rather to give me the opportunity to share a story about which Chris knows little.

It starts back in 1987, while travelling through Europe on a Contiki tour with my friend Elyse, where we met a girl called Sharilou from Kitchener, Ontario. The three of us shared lots of laughs as our camping tour weaved its way over alps, along canals and across dykes. Sadly, after just three weeks, we parted company from Sharilou, as Elyse and I continued on our journey to Egypt and Sharilou returned home to Canada. Over the years my thoughts have wandered back to that holiday and to Sharilou, never thinking our paths would cross again. That was, until today. Kitchener it turns out is only an hour from Oakville, and after only a small amount of detective work we were able to reconnect by phone followed by a lunch date today. I can’t begin to describe the joy of catching up with my long lost friend after 19 years. We laughed as we shared our stories and rejoiced in this chance we have to become reacquainted throughout 2006.

C.S. Lewis says, “ We read to know we are not alone” so perhaps this blogging isn’t as bad as I thought and perhaps people do in fact read it. Alright, I admit it, I was wrong :)