Impeccable Timing

Today on my way home from work, I took the "low road" along the river, rather than my usual route over the hills on the "high road." The reason for this was the need to place some posters about an up-coming screening clinic which I am holding for men in the community. A number of small population centers on the "low road" have post offices or convenience stores with community bulletin boards.

One of my stops was at a small town post office. After tacking the poster on the bulletin board, I got in my car and started to drive away. The "still small voice" inside my head said that as long as I was in that little town, I should stop and see a couple from my church who live right next to the post office. I ignored "the voice" and kept driving. I turned out onto the main highway, but the urging to visit this couple kept replaying. I hadn't gone far before "the voice" was saying, "Well, you can keep driving, but eventually you will turn around. The farther you go, the farther you will have to backtrack, so why don't you just give in and turn around now."

With a sigh, I whipped into a driveway, and back out on the highway retracing my route.

I visited with my friends for a few minutes. They were doing fine, and I couldn't see any reason why I had had this strong urge to stop and see them.

So as I continued on my way home again, I was saying, "OK...so they didn't seem to be in any need. What was that all about? Hmmmm....maybe the purpose was to time something in my life. Maybe a bridge is falling down up ahead, but now I'm going to miss being on it when it falls."

I arrived at my next location....a convenience store. I grabbed my poster and headed in. I opened the door and stepped into the store at the PRECISE moment when a woman at the checkout immediately inside the door was saying in a loud and angry voice, "**** Hospital is nothing more than a bandaid station!"

She turned around, and there I stood with my poster for a free screening clinic sponsored by **** Hospital.

Ah...life"s interesting moments.

A conversation began. She expressed a great deal of frustration about a family member who was in **** Hospital. She wasn't dissatisfied with the care, but with what seemed to be confusing mixed messages from doctors and different staff members. I listened, expressed understanding, and suggested with whom she could address her concerns. When the very congenial conversation ended, she seemed more calm.

I hung my poster and returned to the car still wondering if there was a bridge out ahead.

No, the bridges were intact. I encountered no downed power lines, no trees across the road, and I'm not really sure why I had an "appointment" with that upset lady, but I certainly was "on time" for it.