This time of year, it is pitch black at 5 pm when I head
home after tutoring. This evening, I
waited for on-coming traffic so that I could make the left turn off the main
street and on to a side street that leads to home. A large truck on the side street was at the
stop sign giving me the right-of-way before it made the left turn on to the
main street. As I turned, I caught
movement near the back of the truck. A
young woman, dressed entirely in dark clothing, ran out from behind the truck
and into my lane. She was on her cell
phone, not thinking about her own safety.
I slammed on the brakes. Fortunately,
although there was a dusting of snow, the street was not slippery, and I
stopped in time.
I drove away with my heart in my throat and her image etched
in my mind. A slender young black woman,
dark pants, dark jacket, some type of head scarf…a print, but dark in color…cell
phone to her ear. If I had hit her, it
would not have been my fault. She was
not in a crosswalk and ran out from behind the truck. But, if I had hit her, who was at fault would
not have influenced the degree of her injury.
How many times in life are there near misses? Something terrible is only a sliver of time
or space away. I am grateful for the
protection of a loving God, who spared her from injury and me from grief.
