Today I am having brunch with a friend I haven’t seen since 2002, Judy Johnson. Judy’s parents were members of my dad’s church in Emory, Texas, which is originally how I got to know her. I was born while we were at Emory, so therefore, she has literally known me my entire life. Judy is an interesting character. After leaving Emory, she went on to join State, appointed to many places but I believe her last assignment was to the Court of St. James.
Johnson is her married name- she was married to Steve Johnson, a fellow diplomat and son of U. Alexis Johnson. If that name doesn’t sound familiar, you can look him up in The Best and the Brightest by David Halberstam. If you sit in a room with Judy, you will never forget it in your entire life. So many stories, so little time. I can’t wait to give her a big hug and kiss and just let her talk about whatever she wants as I sit there, dreamy-eyed, because Judy’s stories are the stuff dreams are made of.
However, I do want to tell a quick story on Steve. When he first took the diplomat’s exam, it was during the Viet Nam war. He was terrified that he was going to be stationed somewhere horrible, and to his surprise, he was sent to war-torn Montreal. 😛
I will have more stories this afternoon, with Judy’s permission. I just wanted to mark this morning as important, because Judy is important to me.
Stories That Are All True 