Monday morning

Running late into a rainy Monday morning was no way to start the day or the week, she thought, but it was a welcome respite after the driest summer on record.

"How unfortunate,"  she thought, looking ahead to their plans for the day.  "We were finally able to coordinate our schedules to meet at Erick's new hiding place for a picnic lunch and it has to rain!"

Erick left for the office early to prepare for the "first thing" Monday morning weekly meeting.  He said he had a surprise for her if she could meet him at 12:30 p.m. at the red and white zebra striped gate at the end of Cardinal Way, behind the old city church, now senior center.  She told him she had a map and would do her best to find it.  Anyway, they had their cell phones.

Driving was terrible.  Sleepy drivers were all, most likely, as surprised by the drizzle as she.  They all, however, may not have a penchant for running late as she did.  

"Oh, great!" she signed, the main road into the rural town where she worked in a migrant clinic was backed up by fire and rescue trucks.  She steered her car to the left stretching to see what was going on up ahead.  

"Just a long line of red brake lights."

 She turned on the radio and tried to not sweat it.

"Oh, man, is this the way this day is going to go?"  she asked the foggy windshield.

"Absolutely not!"  came the reply.  "You cannot let the external circumstances around you dictate and control how you feel about this moment or the next moment or the next, and certainly not the entire day!"  

"Yes, I hear you.  You are absolutely right.  Forgive me for forgetting."  

She knew this and yet was thankful for the quick reminder from that ever-present presence who kept her company as a guest in her mind all the time lately.  

She took a deep breath and relaxed into it, shifting her agitated attitude to gratefulness for the extra few minutes to collect herself.  She whispered a prayer of thanks and praise out to the universe, directed toward God.  In her haste that morning she had skipped her 15 minutes of prayer and realized that this delay might be God's way of keeping their morning date.  She smiled and said thank you out loud.

As she could have anticipated, the delay was only for 15 minutes and the traffic seemed to clear as soon as the tow truck was able to get the two cars off the road.  While an ambulance was on hand, it didn't seem anyone was hurt.  Up ahead, the thirsty brown landscape seemed to be drinking the now pouring rain.  She realized she needed God's presence as much as the lovely hillsides she drove through each day.  Her anxiety lifted.  Maybe she was a bit nervous about Erick's new idea to purchase an old inner city lot.  Maybe she was, but then, maybe, just maybe God was still in charge of things and rather than worry, she could just steep her mind in "Thy will be done."  That could be her new mantra and attitude about his new scheme.  She couldn't recall any of his plans ever being anything less than brilliantly successful.  Why should she worry about this one?