It's a Small World After All

There was a baby blessing in our ward today. I didn't think too much about it, other than noting that there were several rows of visitors there.
As I was leaving the chapel after Sacrament Meeting, I was making my normal rounds of stopping to make faces at cute kids. Near the door I came across a man holding a cute little boy. I didn't recognize either of them (and I know all of the kids in the ward), so I figured that they were visiting due to the baby blessing. The man acted like he knew me and asked me how I was doing. We stopped and chatted for a minute, and then he asked me what my name was. I told him, but he still looked puzzled. He said that I reminded him of a family that he knows, and when I asked him the name of the family, he said Alford!
After I told him that I was indeed an Alford, I asked him how he knew my family. He told me that his name was Dave, and that his wife Kathy was my dad's cousin. They were aunt and uncle to the mother of the baby being blessed today. So I've actually been in a ward with a second cousin for over a year now and didn't even know it! Her name is Heidi Simmons, and her mother Leslie is Kathy's sister. Kathy and Dave actually came to our wedding last year. I wouldn't have recognized them, but he recognized me.
So we were invited over to their home for munching and mingling. It was fun to visit with my extended family and find out a little more about them. I also discovered that Heidi has been researching the Alford family line and has been gathering and scanning photographs. She's going to give me a copy of the information that she has, and then I'll be able to pass it on to my family members. And I'm going to introduce her to Great-Aunt Ruth, who's she's heard about but never met.
It's funny. I was actually reading an article in the Ensign just this morning about the importance of being personally involved in geneology. I felt a real desire to study and learn more about my ancestors, and stop telling myself that "someone else has already done it." And now Heavenly Father has provided a way for me to learn more about the Alford side of the family. Turns out I didn't have to search farther than my own ward!