Between the time I started composing 2 Tales of Providence and this post an extraordinary event occurred. Late Thursday night, my father had a heart attack. Recall that I had gone back to my true home to surprise my wife Wednesday night, yet now I was needed back in Biloxi. Friday was another packed day, with doctor's appointments and me trying to take care of any of the weekend's work I could before I could leave. By the time I could leave it was so late I slept and left Saturday morning, feeling like a bad child as it was 36 hours since I had heard the news before I got on the road. By the time I got back to the Coast, Dad was in a room, had rested some and had lower blood pressure then he had ever had since before I was born. They added a stent and stopped the heart attack and all was good. All that remains is the why?
So often when people experience life threatening or changing events they rail against God asking "Why is this happening to me?" It is a good and valid question, but most won't like the answer if they heard it because sometimes bad things happen to good people so that they (or someone else) is put into the path of someone who needs to hear what they have to say. For any who think that God wouldn't kill someone, endanger their lives, or give a terminal disease to someone to affect someone else remember the parable of the lost sheep. Well, that and 2 Peter 3:9, but mostly the lost sheep. The best we can do is to see what situations do to us that could have been the point.
In my case, I'm still not sure. I was down here on a weekend which allowed me to do a few things around the house that needed doing that I hadn't been able to get to during the week? Was that it? I had stuff that needed to be done back home that didn't, so I doubt it. Dad's dog, McDuff, bonded with me since Dad was away, including spending time in the room with me (which he never does when Dad's here) and sleeping on the bed with me. Was that it? I doubt it too.
This weekend has allowed me more time to talk to my nephew then I have had the entire 6 months I have been working on the Coast. Was that the reason?
All week long I had been pondering how I would be driving back down. Either I would need to skip church and drive home early to make it before kickoff for the Super Bowl, or I would have to leave very late (or early Monday morning) after the game. I made it to the Coast, with my traditional Super Bowl menu fixings ready for kickoff over a day early with absolutely no reason to keep me from seeing the game AND being in Biloxi for work Monday morning. Could it be so easy?
So what is the reason? I don't know, but I'm anxious to find out ~~~~~~~~~~~