My daughter, Erica, and her husband, Randy, were in the Seattle airport waiting to board a plane. Erica sent me the following text message typed on her cell phone. The subject of the message was, “Cosmic Encounter.”
** So I’m at SeaTac, I go to buy an emery board and I’m reading the greeting cards and this cute young girl starts chuckling and reading them with me. She has her hands full and she leans in and says, “Lets share.” So we are laughing and bonding. She says, “Where are you going?” I say Alaska and ask where she’s going. She says Ketchikan.
Randomly she blurts, “My boyfriend proposed to me. In front of my pastor, and, like, forty other people. I kind of panicked and said yes. I’m going to Alaska to think.”
Then she says, “The other day I brought the truck home with less than a quarter tank. He left the gate to my horse corral open to teach me a lesson.”
I said, “See? You know what you are doing. Run!”
She says, “I’m really listening.”
So away I go, thinking about this weird personal conversation. I have a strong feeling that I need to go back.
I find her and say, “Hey, I have to tell you something. Do you know what happens if you marry the wrong guy? You have kids with the wrong guy. Then, after that, you have to break your own kid’s hearts.”
“Oh my god!” she says.
“Yeah,” I say.
She says, “I think that people can be angels telling you things you need to hear.”
I say, “You already know the answer.”
“Yeah”, she says.
I edge away. She looks across the store and waves and mouths, “Love you.”
“Oh, I love you too. Bye.” I am surprised at how strongly I mean it.
Later, she sees us waiting for the plane and waves. Randy hollers, “Horse gate open? Don’t do it!” She grins.
On the plane she comes to find us from a few rows ahead. “Your words are ringing in my head. Thank you.” **
The text message ended there.
Sometimes angels come in handy.
I love this story! Random? I think not. I remember a moment when I was about 17, feeling very grown up. I was at a gas station and as I was getting into my car a man approached and asked if I could give him a ride a short ways away. I felt progressive and giving, and why wouldn’t I help another person in need? As I was giving it thought I looked over at a man pumping gas into his car. He had overheard our interaction and he looked at me and mouthed “Please don’t do that”. I understood in that moment that he was being wise and I had been on the cusp of doing something foolish. I said no to the man and as he walked away I looked over to the gentleman and he just nodded with approval. Who knows how my life would have changed without his intervention.