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This past August, at the Oregon State Fair,
while helping my daughter, Dana, in her booth, I heard her say, “Mom, quick, look at this man walking past our booth.”
As I glanced up, shuffling along was an old man, at least 90, carrying a blue bag. Sentimentally, we commented that he had
probably been coming to the fair for 50 years. We imagined him in earlier years with his family at his side as he strolled
the fairgrounds.
Getting back to our pile of work, we stayed late that night to catch up on orders and when we left
at midnight, discovered a dead battery – the result of forgotten headlights. Being the only car left in the lot, our
options were limited. Suddenly, a fellow vendor emerged from his motor home on the other side of the fence that surrounds
the parking lot and got into his truck. I yelled, “Dana, quick, run around the fence and see if you can get that truck
to give us a jump.” He was on his way to restock his booth – something he only did late at night. Gratefully, we
thanked him for the jump, and pulled out of the parking lot at 1 AM, tired and glad to be headed back to our RV.
As
I made the usual right turn, which would take us the route we have taken every night of the fair for the last 5 years, I suddenly
made a U-turn. “I think I’ll go a different direction tonight so I can charge the battery.”
About
five blocks from the fairgrounds, I saw in the shadows a hand slowly waving up and down. At first I thought it was my imagination
and then I saw a blue bag. THE blue bag hanging from the hand of an old man, THE old man. We screeched to a halt and asked
if he needed help. He said, “Oh…..I feel like I am going to collapse. I can’t find my car. I have been walking
for hours. I’ve been waving and waving and no one would stop to help me. I’m 92 years old and I have been coming
to this fair for over 60 years. I just don’t understand how I got lost. Pulling a card from his wallet he said, “Please,
can you call my family?” A half hour later, as they drove off with him safe and sound, we waved good-bye with tears in
our eyes. Time? 2:00 AM.
I looked at my daughter and said, “How could anyone believe this was all a coincidence?”
What if we had not seen him partially hidden in the trees? What if we had not made the U-turn? What if the fellow vendor had
not been there to give us a jump? What if we had not had the dead battery? What if we had left the booth on time? What if
we had not looked up at the precise moment we did to see him shuffle past our booth, when there are 50,000 fairgoers per day?
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Many days, when we are trying to go in a straight line, we often
end up frustrated as we face what appear to be problems along the way. Instead of stumbling blocks, these may, in fact, be
opportunities placed in front of us which allow us to grow as individuals and, perhaps, achieve a higher purpose. What do
you think? Were these really coincidences?
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LYNNE IS THE AUTHOR
OF THE MOTIVATIONAL BOOK, “I’ll Be Here Tomorrow – Transforming Tragedy into Triumph”… A book about
finding your authentic self and saying YES to life. The reader rediscovers their inner strength with which, through day-to-day
struggles, they have lost touch. It will inspire your soul, tickle your funny bone, and stimulate your mind. If you want to
subscribe to this newsletter e-mail Lynne
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