Mistaken Identity - Being Simon Allen

One of the oddest parts of my pre-Christmas rush was a conversation with a lady who phoned me because she wanted to find out how Simon Allen was.  She had seen my photo and name in the newspaper, had then called the Caring Christmas Trees phone line who passed the call to me.  For a few minutes I spoke to her desperately trying to remember who this lady was and not wanting to come across rude that I had forgotten her.  She asked about my family and how I was etc.  She found out quite a lot while I tried to work out who she was.  However it was when she asked me "was I travelling to Germany again before Christmas" that I realised that she was speaking to the wrong Simon Allen (I've never been to Germany).  When I told her that I was not the Simon Allen she wanted she commented that 'when I saw the photo in the paper I thought you had changed a lot'.  In fact this lady wanted to contact a Simon Allen who lives very close to me.  I have met him because we have mutual friends -  it was a slightly strange experience meeting another Simon Allen!. 

In fact the first time I knew there was another Simon Allen who lived close by was when my Doctor read out the wrong medical history to me.  I am now careful when I go to the Doctors to explain which Simon Allen I am.

Within a day or two of this phone call, I then received a small parcel addressed to Simon Allen from the 2012 Olympic torchbearer offering me congratulations for being successful in the final selection to carry the Olympic torch.  I was delighted but a little confused.  I had been nominated months before (Thanks Kemi!) and had made it pass the first cut off, however on the day of the announcement in December I was told I was unsuccessful in making the final 10,000, and yet now I had a document informing me that Simon Allen was successful.  I read on, before I allowed myself to dream too much about my moment carrying the Olympic torch, to find that Simon Allen was successful because I was a 'true fighter against a devastating illness'  Ahhhhhhhhhh - that's not me!!!!  Somehow they has got the wrong person again - perhaps it was the other Simon Allen again.

I laughed lots at the mistaken identity on the phone call but I felt gutted about the second one.  It would have been an honour to carry the Olympic torch but ultimately I am a Simon Allen who knows I have my identity in Christ Jesus and He is never confused about who I am! Thankfully!