Into the Clear Blue Sky
03/26/2008 09:03 PM
| Christianity
So I was driving home
from the grocery store yesterday with Ian in the back
seat. It was a chilly, blustery morning, and I had
finished my weekly shopping much earlier than I
normally do. As I crossed the overpass above State
Road 37, I saw a huddled figure walking over the
bridge. Glancing at the person while driving by, I
noticed that it was a middle-aged woman. Since there
is nothing on that highway for a couple more miles, I
decided to stop and see if she needed a ride. Chances
were, if she was walking that direction, she was
probably going to someplace in my neighborhood and
would probably appreciate not having to walk the
whole distance in that weather. After inviting her,
she got in my car, out of the wind.
Her name was Eileen. She was going to the license
branch near my house to take care of a title matter
with her RV. Her car broke down a week ago, and she's
relatively new to Bloomington and didn't know anyone,
which is why she was forced to walk. After guessing
that she was a student, I asked what she was
studying. As it turns out, she's a Ph.D. student in
Human and Family Resources, focusing on miscarriage
intervention and therapy. Interesting! I informed her
that I recently had a miscarriage, and she began to
immediately open up to me and explain why she chose
this particular career path. It seems that several
different events in her life have served to prepare
her to work in this field, not the least of which was
her daughter's experiencing a rather horrid
miscarriage with very little emotional or physical
support. She's also written a short book designed to
help women through the loss of a child, whether
unborn or not.
Once we got to the license branch, I gave her my
phone number so she could call me when she was
finished and I could take her back into Bloomington.
Because she seemed so independent, I was surprised
when she actually did call me about 45 minutes after
I got back to the house. So, Ian and I jumped back in
the car and picked her up from the license branch. By
this time, it was sleeting horribly. I was so glad
she didn't have to walk 5-6 miles in that! However,
she admitted that the only reason she allowed me to
give her a ride again was so she could give me a copy
of her book, which she did once we arrived at her
house. We parted ways then, after she shared that she
felt the universe brought us together so we could
participate in "reciprocal assistance." I smiled to
myself as I thought, "Yes, the 'Universe,' indeed."
I'm so thankful
to God for giving me the opportunity to meet this
highly interesting woman. I almost drove right by
her, thinking that I had groceries in the car, or
that I might be putting my son in "danger" by picking
up a strange person on the side of the road, but God
spoke as clearly to me as He ever has that I needed
to stop. Maybe it was for my benefit. Maybe it was
for her encouragement. Maybe it was both.
--Lisa
PS: If you're interested in a copy of her book, email
me, and I'll put you in contact with Eileen.