Coincidence

Sunday was a good day. It was also a very unusual day. I’ll explain – 

I went to the men’s meeting in Amityville with a friend from 10AM – 12PM. After the meeting, my plan was to go to the store and buy a highlighter set, come home and finish step 1. Things don’t always go as I plan…

On the way back to my friend’s house he mentions that he’s going food shopping after I drop him off. I don’t have any major plans so I offer to take him to the store. We do our shopping (I got some fruit and cereal) and we’re on line to pay when he realized that he forgot to buy sugar, so he went back to get it. While looking for sugar, he noticed that the coffee was on sale so he grabbed some of that as well. The line had gotten a little longer when we got back to it so overall the total delay in the store was about 10 extra minutes.

After I dropped my friend at home, I decided to get a haircut. Well, it’s more like getting my head shaved and beard shaped, but let’s not split hairs ;) The hair cut place is in the ghetto. It’s true. The place is in the heart of Brentwood across from Pathmark. It’s not a good area so the normal driver courtesy doesn’t apply and the traffic is always crazy. The Shop, as it’s called, is in a little “strip mall” where Suffolk Ave, Fifth Ave, Pine Aire Drive, and Crooked Hill Rd all meet. The traffic was so bad that I couldn’t make a left into the parking lot so I had to drive passed it, turn at a light, make a U-turn, and then go back. The heavy traffic added at least 10 extra minutes to my trip. No big deal, I didn’t t have anything definitive to do. 

When I finally get to the shop, Nano, the bootleg DVD guy asks me to give him a ride home because he forgot his phone. My barber was working on someone else so I agreed. Back into the crazy traffic, more traffic up Suffolk Ave to Route 111. In and out of his house to get the phone then back to the shop. Total trip time was about 20 minutes. Again, I’m not on a schedule so it’s alright.

My barber, Doc, was talking to his girlfriend so the rest of us watched a boot leg of the controversial fight between Mayweather and Ortiz. All I’m saying about the fight is that Mayweather has no class. Total discussion time, 10 minutes.

Finally time to get my hair cut, which goes as usual. I leave The Shop and stop to buy gas and cigarettes.  This was a planned stop, so I’m not going to count it as a delay. Anyway, I’m on my way to buy the highlighters so I can finally be done and I remember that I have fruit in the car that should be refrigerated. I detour to the house so I can put the fruit away and head right back out. While I’m home, I give Jon (he’s our fish) a treat and sort some laundry .  As I’m trying to find my keys I notice the Just For Today on the table and can’t remember what the reflection was from the morning so I sit on the couch and reread the passage. All total the time spent home was about 15 minutes. I put the book down and grab my keys from the kitchen when there’s a knock on the door. It’s Panthea.  My heart leaps in my chest and I fumble to open the door… more on her visit (WOOOOOP!) later tonight because I have to run. 

Now what heck does everything you just read have to do with her visit? Well, as Einstein said “Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.” I choose to believe. If any of the above 10 minute delays ( or as I look at them, nudges of God’s hand) didn’t happen then I wouldn’t have been home when she drove by. If I wasn’t home she wouldn’t have stopped. If she didn’t stop then we wouldn’t have gotten to talk and spend time together. I don’t think that she’s come by to see if I was at home since she moved out because I cheated and betrayed her trust in me and us. I don’t blame her for not wanting to see me, but on this particular day she did, at exactly the right moment. Add to this a few other things, she e-mailed me at 9:19 and my last post was at 9:18. She woke up last night around 3AM and I sent her an e-mail at 3:01. Go ahead and call it coincidence, but 3 times in one 24 hour period is more than I needed as proof. 

Thank you, God. If you haven’t done it lately, it’s okay. Stop what you’re doing and thank shim now.