Who knew God arranged lunch dates?

My niece responded to my Miracles Thread blog with this delightful true story and gave permission for me to share it with all y’all.

I was in my first year of grad school and had finished with morning classes. Generally, I went straight to my on-campus job, but for some reason, I went home that day and I heard the message Dad had left on my answering machine.

He was on a business trip that wasn’t supposed to put him anywhere near me, but his flight had been changed at the last minute, so he would be stopping over briefly at an airport about 100 miles from my campus.

Being Dad, he added, “Now don’t drive 100 mph to get there! If it doesn’t work out, don’t worry!” By the time I received the message, Dad’s plane was boarding, so I did not know if this would all work out. Nonetheless, I was going to try to take the opportunity.

So, I called work, and despite my giving them less than 20 minutes notice, they said it was not a problem if I took the afternoon off!

I did not have a car that year, but there was a shuttle company in town which took people to the airport. Generally, you would schedule your rides several weeks in advance to allow them time to map out the best route. Still, I called, and they said that they just happened to have space for me on a shuttle that would be passing my apartment in 20 minutes!

When Dad got off the plane, I was there to greet him, and we enjoyed the unexpected gift of lunch together. When I think of the four “small miracles” that all happened in a short space of time to make that lunch happen, I have to marvel at how tender and personal God’s love for us is.

This story reminded me of something similar from my own grad school days.

I showed up to a late morning class only to find a sign on the door that it had been cancelled. Having a few hours unexpectedly free, I decided to treat myself to lunch at a little bagel shop I liked.

While I was waiting for my order, I heard a familiar voice from my past … my first steady boyfriend was sitting on the other side of the room! I hadn’t seen him since he graduated from high school a year ahead of me, so this was … mmm … seven years later? Something like that.

I called to him and we decided to eat at the same table and catch up. He quickly steered the conversation to the Big Thing that was on his mind … faith.

His only sister, with whom he was especially close, had become a Born Again Christian and was encouraging him to do the same. But he also had a lot of friends who were into Buddhism and he felt torn.

He asked me what I thought and I said I’d lay the two side by side and pick the one that was better.

He acted rather offended at the idea that one might be better than the other.

I replied that if you’re going to commit your entire life to a particular path, shouldn’t it be the best one you can find?

He nodded thoughtfully and we parted on that note. I don’t know what choices he made for his life, but I have often wondered just how much organizing our guardian angels had to do to put us in that bagel shop at the exact same time that day!