Sunday, November 5, 2017

Meeting Jesus

I wrote this a little while ago, and it's finally making it here...


As I was leaving the food pantry yesterday with both kids, Jesus caught me, needing a ride to the doctor. She was a woman, probably in her 50s, with thick, curly hair, tan lines on her feet from other sandals, and a penchant for sharing more information than people wanted to hear. She wouldn't get into my car until I had cleared the entire floorboard in front of the front passenger seat. Her cell phone fell apart--the battery cover coming off and the battery falling out--as she got in the car. She claimed she was waiting for the public transit, but that driver was taking lunch, and the doctor had called and told her she needed to come in and see him. She said she didn't know why, but she hoped it was nothing bad. She rattled on about where she lived--in that yellow trailer on the corner in the mobile home park just down the street, but she really didn't like it there--that she had to go to Kingsport in the morning and wouldn't have time to eat breakfast before that long drive...she asked what I thought of "that clip," referring to the solar eclipse that had happened the day before. She talked about how long she had been going to church and how often she prayed. When I dropped her off, she offered me money for gas, but I declined, noting that we are supposed to help each other out. She hugged me and thanked me and told me she loved me. She said she was hesitant to pick up hitchhikers, too, but that she's a nice one, she's always nice to people and she loves everybody. Yeah, I'm pretty sure it was Jesus. I almost missed him. I'm sure glad I didn't, though.