Psalms 55:22

"Friends are God's way of taking care of us"

This was written by a Hospice of Metro Denver physician

I just had one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and wanted to
share it with my family and dearest friends:

I was driving home from a meeting this evening about 5, stuck in traffic
on Colorado Blvd., and the car started to choke and splutter and die -

I barely managed to coast, cursing, into a gas station, glad only that I
would not be blocking traffic and would have a somewhat warm spot to wait
for the tow truck. It wouldn't even turn over. Before I could make the
call, I saw a woman walking out of the "quickie mart" building, and it
looked like she slipped on some ice and fell into a gas pump, so I got
out to see if she was okay. When I got there, it looked more like she had
been overcome by sobs than that she had fallen; she was a young woman who
looked really haggard with dark circles under her eyes. She dropped
something as I helped her up, and I picked it up to give it to her. It was
a nickel.

At that moment, everything came into focus for me: the crying woman,
the ancient Suburban crammed full of stuff with 3 kids in the back (1 in a
car seat), and the gas pump reading $4.95. I asked her if she was okay and
if she needed help, and she just kept saying "I don't want my kids to see
me crying," so we stood on the other side of the pump from her car. She
said she was driving to California and that things were very hard for her
right now.

So I asked, "And you were praying?" That made her back away from me a
little, but I assured her I was not a crazy person and said, "He heard
you, and He sent me."

I took out my card and swiped it through the card reader on the pump so
she could fill up her car completely, and while it was fueling walked to
the next door McDonald's and bought 2 big bags of food, some gift
certificates for more, and a big cup of coffee. She gave the food to the
kids in the car, who attacked it like wolves, and we stood by the pump
eating fries and talking a little.

She told me her name, and that she lived in Kansas City. Her boyfriend
left 2 months ago and she had not been able to make ends meet. She knew
she wouldn't have money to pay rent Jan 1, and finally in desperation had
finally called her parents, with whom she had not spoken in about 5 years.
They lived in California and said she could come live with them and try to
get on her feet there. So she packed up everything she owned in the car.
She told the kids they were going to California for Christmas, but not
that they were going to live there.

I gave her my gloves, a little hug and said a quick prayer with her for
safety on the road. As I was walking over to my car, she said, "So, are
you like an angel or something?"

This definitely made me cry. I said, "Sweetie, at this time of year
angels are really busy, so sometimes God uses regular people." It was so
incredible to be a part of someone else's miracle. And of course, you
guessed it, when I got in my car it started right away and got me home
with no problem. I'll put it in the shop tomorrow to check, but I suspect
the mechanic won't find anything wrong.

Sometimes the angels fly close enough to you that you can hear the
flutter of their wings...

Psalms 55:22, "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee.
He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved."

From: cpelo@yahoo.com