Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Day 170: A prayer in a snowstorm

Leaving work wasn't easy. One of my co-workers said the hardest part was getting out of the parking lot, and upon arriving there, I found a guy stuck in the middle of it in his little car, his wheels spinning away in the snow. So another guy and I pushed him out. The driver then attempted to turn onto Douglas, but a little incline and a decent pile of snow stopped him again. So the other guy and I helped him change directions and head north instead. All the while the wind was numbing our faces and sucking the air out of our lungs. The snow was blowing sideways.

A moment later, I was sitting in my frigid car, which was being rocked by the wind, waiting for it to warm up and wondering why I didn't pray for either of those two guys. This wasn't a day to go driving around looking for someone. So I waited. Earlier, I'd seen a guy walking down the sidewalk along Douglas. Maybe there would be another.

Sure enough. He was headed west, the wind whipping across his body. He wore a hooded coat and a stocking cap. I stepped out of my car when he got close. "Can I pray for you?" I asked. He looked at me with that look I always get. "Why?" he asked. He was probably 30 years old, with a mustache and bad teeth. My own mouth already was numb. This was no time for questions. But I told him that I pray for one person every day.

So he said OK, and I prayed -- for warmth. A moment later, he shook my hand, thanked me and kept walking. I don't know where he came from or where he was going. I got back in my car and gunned it out of the parking lot.

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