Stunned

A story, although a little old by now, needs to be told.  

It was in the beginning of January when I received an email. The sender, as it happened, was someone named Herbert Blomstedt. Now, I knew who the Herbert Blomstedt was - the most famous Swedish conductor, a superstar in the classical world, but as there there was absolutely no connection between us I thought that maybe I was mistaking something or maybe it was a namesake of the conductor's. So after staring at the name of the sender for a while, I (I'm a little embarrassed to admit) opened Wikipedia, just to check if the Herbert Blomstedt was still alive. He is 95 years old and as active as ever, said Wikipedia. Oh my. Then I proceeded with the email - he thanked me for my latest sermon preached in Ekebyholm church and wished me all the best. I was stunned.  

We have exchanged some very pleasant emails over the past year - a little bit about my preaching which he enjoys through live-streaming and a little bit about his music which I enjoy. I have continued to be stunned. What else would I do?  

Then in the middle of September both me and S. received another email, this time from H. B.'s daughter. She said her dad was going to have some concerts in Konserthuset in Stockholm with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and that he would very much like to invite us to one of them. Would we be interested? Would we have time? Oh, WOULD WE!!!  

We went to the concert on the evening of our 2nd month wedding anniversary (we are still counting months:), oblivious to what would be waiting for us in Stockholm. At the door of the concert hall, we were handed two tickets plus magic backstage cards. The tickets looked a little strange to us because you would expect to have the number of row and seat on them. Those tickets had something different written on them. So we actually had to ask two Konserthuset's employees about our seats and they, very politely, showed us to the BOX SEATS (sorry for shouting) right in the middle of the 1st balcony. Of course there are no seat numbers on the red velvet armchairs in the loge haha! The Very Important Persons - you know, the king and such - do not need to look for the right row and seat, they just need to know where the door to the loge is. So were were given the absolute best seats in the concert hall! After the concert (two symphonies by Brahms and Honegger) we made our way to backstage. And we finally met him. And while feeling a little awkward (because I still don't fully understand why we were invited and treated like this), we had the most wonderful conversation with the maestro. We talked and talked and the situation got weirder and weirder because most of the other people around us - his personal assistants (I would guess) and the dignitaries of the concert hall, plus a couple of musicians - didn't have a faintest idea of who we were are and why we hadn't left after a polite and short thank-you-maestro. They started looking more puzzled with every passing minute and I swear I almost saw some cartoon question marks above their heads when H. B. invited us to his personal changing room to give us a late wedding present. A little later, when S. was talking to H. B.'s nephew (there were some family members backstage with us), I was approached by a young woman - another chosen one with a backstage card - who started a very polite conversation, probably thinking I was some world-famous musician she just couldn't remember that moment haha. And then, as it was so late and the main doors were already shut, we were let out by a side door.  

As we stepped into Stockholm's night, we were like, WHAT WAS THAT?! The wonderful music itself would have been more than enough, but finding oneself in a such a special setting was more than we could fathom. Usually the VIPs know who they are, it probably doesn't happen so often that mere mortals like us would walk into a VIP thing, totally oblivious.  

I think we might have been the only people ever, asking for directions to the loge. :D  

But it's so cool - the unexpectedness of these life surprises. Sometimes life knocks you off your feet in a bad and tragic way. But on other occasions, you are handed a present that just stuns you. Jaw dropped. Heart pounding. And you realise - everything is a gift.  

Plus, of course, I don't know any better way to celebrate one's wedding anniversary. :)