Every year around the time of the Andrew Peterson Christmas show, I go back and read what I wrote about meeting Derek Webb for the first time at the 2002 show and have a laugh. I’ll take you right to the punchline:

But the concept was just mind-boggling: here is a man who has made an influence on my life–stronger than he might ever imagine, stronger than I’d probably ever realize myself–and he recognizes me. What a freakish thing.

I still can’t quite believe it.

I’ll meet Derek again. We might never be anything more than acquaintances, but for that one moment … yeah.

Well, uh, I think we’ve moved past the acquaintance stage now.

I emailed this to Bryan today for his amusement, and here’s his response:

haha. wow, funny to read that. i’m so happy i know what Fido’s is…and its funny to hear you talk about the rumor board in an unattached way…and its funny to wonder if you and derek will ever be more than acquaintances, seeing as how you are in his liner notes and slept in his house. hilarious.

Of course, Bryan knows what Fido’s is only because we hit Fido’s with Derek back in October, before going over to his house later to partake of his gracious hospitality in providing crashspace for us on the trip. [DW, you rule.] I will keep most of my fanboy moments to myself, but you can imagine the variations on the one I had as I was going to sleep: “I’m about to sleep on Derek Webb’s couch!”

I also emailed this to Andrew Osenga, in response to his story about getting a mixtape from Matthew Smith back in college when Matthew was trying to get him to give Caedmon’s Call a serious listen.

I turned it over and read down the list of songs. Waterdeep. Caedmon’s Call. Derek Webb. Vigilantes of Love. Bebo Norman. This was familiar. It was hazy, but it started coming back bit by bit. Some guy from my dorm floor made me this tape because I always ragged on the music he liked. Especially Caedmon’s. Though I’d never really heard them I had decided I didn’t like them. Probably because I had an ex-girlfriend who really did. And they played folk music and I liked atmospheric rock. So this guy made me the tape to try and convert me.

“Who would have done that?” [ ... ] Then it hit me. This tape was the handiwork of Matthew Smith. The very Matthew Smith whose house I had just come from. When he made that tape for me we were single guys living across the hall from each other in a freshman dorm. Last night our wives were holding our newborn babies. I’ve heard all those Caedmon’s songs now. Just about every night for the past four years. So crazy how things change and how unexpected and wonderful some of those changes can be.

So, when I emailed Andrew, he came back with this:

dude. do you know who opened that show in huntsville? the normals. it was the first time we ever met them, and that was the first cc show I ever saw. And Mike played an extra trash can on thankful.

Okay, this is now officially weird and hilarious. I’m laughing really hard because I remember thinking, “Who the heck are The Normals?!” It didn’t matter, though, because I made that trip with my old church kids and barely got there in time to see CC-minus-the-Youngs.

All I know is that I’m really shaking my head a lot about this shared set of experiences now. That, and I’m now pissed that I’m realizing that I could have seen The Normals. But mainly that makes me mad at Forefront. Grrrrr.