Thursday, December 18, 2014

God Watches Over Fools

December 18, 2014

What would you call a more-than-middle-aged man, dressed rather nattily in suit and tie, expensive fedora perched on brow, seen picking through the garbage in a car ramp waste bin? A bum wannabe? Someone looking for some misplaced marbles? Or former pastor Jim? What was he doing, rummaging through the trash, you ask? Well, there's a bit of a story to today's bit of daily gratitude.

I was visiting a friend who had been hospitalized in Erie. When it came time to leave, I searched through my pockets for my keys. I'm pretty anal about locking my vehicle whenever I go somewhere. The routine is always the same, remove the key from the ignition, lock the doors, double check that I have the keys in hand before closing the door. It was no different today, except for one small detail.

I retraced my steps all the way back to my friend's room. No keys. Front desk check; no keys. Same with the young man at the window for the ramp. Climbing the stairs back up to the fourth level of the ramp to double check the truck and its surrounds, I pass the trash bin and a light begins to flicker in the back of my brain. As I exited my truck to visit my friend, I bent over and picked up the stray coffee cup, a fig newton wrapper, and assorted cash register receipts, all of which on my way into the hospital got deposited in the trash bin. Along with my keys. Fortunately, it didn't take a lot of digging before I found them nestling securely on top of a grimy Walmart bag. Even more fortunately, the custodial crew hadn't yet made their rounds. It all adds up to one happy former pastor who is thankful he didn't have to call home and wait for the delivery of his spare set. Simple blessings. Much gratitude.

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