An Excerpt from my diary, August 19, 2010
Yesterday afternoon while my daughter Jennifer and I were grocery shopping I experienced something marvelous. As we were pulling into the Marlin Meat Market approximately six miles north of Pottsville, we noticed a rather elderly lady walking away from the market with two heavy laden bags in her hands. She looked as though she could hardly move. I mentioned to Jen that she looked like she needed a lift to her home.
I pulled into the parking space, and Jen got out to go in for her order. As she walked to the front of the store she looked back at the elderly lady fumbling along. I told the kids to stay in their safety seats, as we were going back to give her a much needed lift home. I backed out of my space and pulled out onto the street, as she did not get even to the end of the block. I rolled the window down and asked her if she would like a ride home. She very graciously excepted, and hopped on into our van.
When I asked her where she lived she replied, "I missed my bus, I live in Pottsville". At first I was a little taken back, as I thought she most likely lived in the same neighborhood as the meat market. Then I told her that we had to go back to the meat market as my daughter was in there shopping. She was completely fine with that, and just grateful for the ride.
While we sat in the parking lot waiting for my daughter, we talked. Her name was Sylvie and she originally was from Antigua, but had lived in NYC, and then Pottsville for many years. Her husband died two years ago, and she had two grown daughters. She loved living independently and had refused living with a daughter. She never learned to drive despite her husband's insistence. She was a home body type person, and didn't care to travel.
Sylvie stated that as a person of color she was thrilled that Barack Obama was President. All of her life she mostly associated with persons of her own race, and didn't know much of the culture of others. I discussed with her the fact that when I saw the movie "Soul Food" I realized how much my family mirrored the family in the movie. My mother always had her grown up children show up for a huge Sunday dinner too. We had our various personality quirks amongst the five siblings, and lots of dysfunction,tears, love and laughter.
Suddenly, a white bird appeared off to the passenger side of the van, and
"Clunk!" it landed on the roof right above where Sylvie was seated. Originally I thought it was a seagull, but as we watched its reflection in the window of the car parked next to us, I realized it was a white dove. The white dove of Peace.
The Torah and the Old Testament describe a story in which a dove was released by Noah after the Great Flood in order to find land. The dove came back carrying an olive branch in its beak, proof for Noah that the tumultuous waters of the Great Flood were receding, and humans could soon resume a normal life. Several times in the Bible the dove appears as the Holy Spirit, as when Jesus was baptized by John.
I have been going through many tribulations lately, and after we drove this lovely new friend home yesterday the thoughts of the visit from the dove was quite uplifting and made me feel as though there was a light at the end of the tunnel and it wasn't an oncoming train , but the light of the Holy Spirit who is totally in charge of my life.
This was read at my wedding ceremony: Jeremiah 29:11 'For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future".
