A
Chance Meeting
Read:
Proverbs 31:10-31
Every
once in a great while, a few times in a lifetime if you’re lucky,
you may meet someone and right away you know you’re looking into a
face sent to you from God. Such was the case many years ago when I
went to see a marina service business owner to pay an invoice. While
I could have mailed a check, I wanted to do it in person. The owner
mistakenly thought I was there looking for a job and made me an
offer. Thinking quickly I negotiated a better deal than I’d ever
had at that time and he voided the invoice I came in to pay. On the
way out I had to stop by to see his secretary to make the
arrangements and clear my debt. That’s when it happened.
We
had seen each other around the marina before but had never formally
met. After the paperwork, we talked and I learned she was raising 2
boys on her own. She left a better job at a bank to come to the
marina because it was closer to home. When she was done at the marina
she went to a 2nd job she worked to make ends meet. In the weeks and
months that followed I learned she was the one who actually ran the
place. She handled all the day to day operations, HR work, budgets,
inventory, payables, receivables etc. Everyone in the harbor kept an
eye on her and helped out if she needed something done around the
house.
The
younger of the 2 boys was born with a hole in the base of his spinal
cord. The doctors gave him a good chance to live, but said he would
never walk. The poor doctors didn’t know she’s Irish on one side
and Italian on the other and nobody was going to tell her what her
boy couldn’t do.
Scared
and alone, haunted by the possibility the doctors could be right,
saddled with a mortgage and two hungry mouths to feed, she went out
into the garage, found some old scraps of lumber, some nails, and a
small hammer. She didn’t have a saw, but she had a Ginsu knife.
Using what she had, she built tiny gym equipment in her living room
and with the help of his slightly older brother she taught the lad to
walk. Growing up was harder for him, but if you met him you’d never
know. While he didn’t win many foot races, nothing on God’s green
Earth can stop that boy today.
She
eventually left the marina for a better opportunity at the world’s
leading packaging company. Even though she left the marina behind,
you could say we stayed in touch. It was tough but she climbed the
corporate ladder to become the Comptroller of the local branch of a
Global Fortune 500 company. After 11 years though the company made an
unfortunate decision and eventually closed all 7 branches in Michigan
and left the State. Somewhere along the way she met a sailing charter
boat captain in between sojourns and he taught her to drive a boat.
Now she’s back in the old marina on her own boat and became the
envy of the old crew because she can handle a twin engine Chris Craft
as well as anyone in the business.
The
passing of parents and the trials and tribulations of daily life have
slowed us all down now and the moments we share together are more and
more treasured each time I see her.
Even
though she can finally have pretty much whatever she wants, she still
won’t buy anything unless she has a coupon, and she still gets all
excited when the right coupon comes in the paper.
Through
it all she’s maintained a smile and laugh such that she can light
up any room simply by entering it.
And
that boy who wasn’t supposed to walk?? He just made me a grandpa.
As
the late great Paul Harvey used to say, “Now you know the
RRRRRrrrest of the story.”
Ron
Draper
P.S.
Please continue to pray for JeriLynn.
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