[Faith-talk] Daily Thought for Thursday, November 7, 2013

[Debby Phillips]

Hi Paul, I really enjoyed that article.  It spoke to me a lot.  I also enjoyed it because that's the neck of the woods we live in.  Give or take a few miles.  But I could well imagine the scene with all the cows on the road.  For the most part in this area, it is what is known as "open range" around here, and there have been several times when my husband would have to stop for cows as we drove home.  Anyway, thanks so much for this article.    Blessings,    Debbyd

Sent from my iPhone

> On Nov 7, 2013, at 1:44 PM, "Paul" <oilofgladness47 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Hello and good day to most of my readers on this Thursday, a day which the Lord has made or, as the 1966 Jerusalem Bible would put the beginning of Psalm 118:24:  "This is the day made memorable to Yahweh." I hope and pray that your day is going well, whether it's about to end or begin.
> 
> We've a story here to relate to you.  It's entitled "Waffle House Waitress" by Joseph McCord of Peoria, Arizona and is rendered as follows:
> 
> Trips tended to be monotonous for this traveling insurance man.  One could have been deadly.
> 
> My theme song could have been "On the Road Again" when I worked for an insurance company in Spokane.  I drove all over Washington State, meeting with agents and execs.  Each trip blurred into another--the contracts, the dinners, closing the deal.  Same old, same old--except one trip I'll never forget.
> 
> I had business in Seattle, an easy drive about 300 miles west, but I planned to stay overnight with friends along the way.  I was looking forward to it.  They lived on the northwestern edge of the Colville Indian Reservation.
> 
> Driving was second nature, as I said, but I couldn't shake a foreboding feeling, almost from the time I got behind the wheel.  It was hard to describe, like I was heading into some kind of danger.  Ignored it was what I did.  Or tried it.  Once under way, I would have said a quick prayer to my guardian angel, if I believed stuff like that.  But I didn't, absolutely.  I didn't believe in messages from beyond or things that go bump in the night.  I was a rational guy.  I concentrated on the mountains and plains.  Beautiful country.  Then I saw black clouds up ahead.  A storm.  I'd driven in storms before.  My car was in tiptop shape.  But those clouds were as dark and scary as my mood.  Why did I feel like disaster waited for me out there?
> 
> The farther west I drove, the stronger the feeling became.  Eventually, I took the highway north toward the reservation.  The weather only got worse.  I gripped the wheel tight.  After a while I was shaking.  I couldn't keep driving.  Take a break, I told myself.  It was the sensible thing to do.  A cup of coffee would surely set me straight.  Treacherous mountain roads lay ahead.  I had to keep my wits about me.
> 
> I spotted the neon sign of a Waffle House.  Perfect.  I pulled into the parking lot and went inside.  A waitress came up to the counter.  "Coffee," I said.  "Black."
> 
> "Are you all right?" She said.  "You look like you've seen a ghost."
> 
> I didn't believe in ghosts, but I said, "Well, maybe I did." Maybe my own.
> 
> She poured my coffee and left me alone to drink it.  I did my best to relax.  What was going on with me?
> 
> The waitress came back to top off my cup.  "What you need is a piece of pie," she said.  "It's fresh-baked.  Apple." I shook my head.  "I insist," she said.  "Trust me.  You need this."
> 
> I was startled to see a glow of light around the waitress.  Like a halo or something.  Probably the neon sign outside reflecting in the mirror behind her.  "So? What do you say?" I gave in.  "Good," she said.  "I'll heat it up."
> 
> I checked my watch.  I should get back on the road.  I'd lost time.  It was already dark out, and I still had a long way to go.  Soon the waitress came back with a piece of apple pie, a scoop of ice cream melting beside it.  "Ice cream, too?" I protested.
> 
> "Eat it," she insisted.  "It's good for what ails you." The waitress dropped my bill on the counter.  The light around her glowed more brightly.
> 
> The pie tasted delicious.  I ate slowly, but even that didn't account for how long it took me to get down to the last bite.  I put it in my mouth, wondering if I'd ever in my life have a slice of pie to top this one.  Probably not.  And the waitress was one hundred percent right.  That pie was good for what ailed me--whatever it was, it was gone.  I felt like myself again.
> 
> I left my money on the counter and got up to leave.  "You drive carefully now," the waitress called.
> 
> The door jingled as I stepped out into the lot.  I jumped into the car and headed into the Indian reservation.
> 
> The storm had passed over.  I picked up speed.  My friends were expecting me.  I zoomed downhill around a curve.  What's that? Through the darkness I saw something in the road.  Cows.  Maybe a dozen cows.  The Indians' cattle roamed free.  My lane was clear, but a huge bull was moving into it.  Whoa! I was going way too fast to stop now.
> 
> I floorboarded the gas pedal and blew by the bull.  I missed him only by inches.  I could also feel the breath from his nostrils as I whizzed by.  I slowed down a little, glancing to my right.  Hundreds of cows drifted across the plain.  The entire herd! They must have completely blocked the road for a good while.  If I'd come around that downhill curve while they were moseying across, I would have crashed into them.  If I hadn't stopped for coffee--and lingered over that apple pie--I could have been killed.
> 
> About a month later, I was on another trip covering the same area.  I stopped at the Waffle House, mainly to thank the waitress.  She wasn't there.  The manager looked puzzled when I inquired about her.  "I know exactly who you mean," he said.  "She only worked for a few hours that one day, and then she quit.  I asked why, and she said, "My work here is completed."
> 
> What's a rational guy like me supposed to think? A temporary waitress and a slice of apple pie changed everything for me.  It happened.  It's true.  I guess you don't necessarily have to ask God for a guardian angel to get one anyway.
> 
> AFTERGLOW
> 
> Joseph McCord and his wife, Mary Lynn, celebrated 25 years of marriage last summer (2006) with a European adventure in London, Barcelona, and a cruise to different ports in the Mediterranean, Ionian and Adriatic seas.  "We visited Villefranch, Monte Carlo, Rome, Tuscany, Naples, Pompeii, Corfu, Dubrovnik and Venice," says Joseph.  They renewed their wedding vows onboard ship.  "I had a surprise for Mary Lynn." When the captain asked for their rings, Joseph presented his wife with a new one.  But Mary Lynn surprised him, too.  "She had a new ring for me!"
> 
> And there you have Joseph's article.  The lesson I got from it was that God can reveal Himself in any and all situations to nonbelievers, no matter how ordinary or extraordinary the circumstances or the situations.  I hope that you enjoyed reading this story.
> 
> And now may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep you safe, individually and collectively, in these last days in which we live.  Lord willing, tomorrow will present another Daily Thought message for you.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul
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