Andrew Came Calling

As I have already inferred, my wife and I just got back from a trip to KY and WV, (and) I began peddling my next 10,000 miles; (having just completed the first 10,000 miles over the course of the past three years).

And given that particular vein, some time ago I wrote about an experience I had in the wee hours of the morning while engaged in my 10 mile nightly bike trek.

But to “make a long story short,” as I braked my two wheeler at the end of a residential street which empties out into a four lane highway, I glanced to my right, and noticed a young man walking towards me on the sidewalk; 40-50 feet distant. (Something which I occasionally encounter at “O dark thirty.”) I immediately looked to my left for traffic, and prepared to across the intersection.

Oddly enough, a couple seconds later, and as I began to peddle across the first two lanes of traffic, I looked to the right again, and the young man

… was gone!

I add the exclamation mark since there was absolutely nowhere the young fella could have gone. For you see, I neglected to mention that there was an 8 foot wall bordering a gated community on his left, and to his right, of course, was the four lane highway. He would not have had time to scale the wall in the elapsed time, and since numerous street lights parallel the highway, I could not have missed him had he chosen to walk across.

I am sure, No, I am convinced that what I assumed was a human being was (drum roll)

… an angel.

(And I am not one to see angels. This was definitely a precedent for me).

I have “toyed” with some good reason God may have chosen to reveal Himself to me in this fashion, and came up with a tentative conclusion; (which I choose not to reveal here).

However, having just returned from vacation, and considering what I witnessed on my bike ride this morning may have changed my mind.

For you see, as I stopped at that afore mentioned intersection this morning, I looked down, and to my right, and noticed a small wooden cross standing next to an impressive ornamental wall of the gated community. Next to the cross was a multi-colored bouquet of artificial flowers.

While I was enjoying my vacation, one or more unfortunate people experienced a fatal accident at this very intersection. Of course, this sudden knowledge was nothing less than sobering.

And it immediately occurred to me that perchance the heavenly visitor I recently witnessed had some upcoming business at this very spot on the side of the road. And who can say, when I first ran across “Andrew,” (for this was the name of the character in the popular television series, “Touched By An Angel”) he may have been doing a trial run.

And while the angel I choose to call, Andrew, allowed me to go about my business that night, and while I have encountered his (previously unseen) presence numerous times during the course of my life, and might have easily succumbed to such close encounters, too many of my classmates have been denied the opportunity to live out long and impactful lives.

And I don’t know why.

And I defy anyone to come up with an educated guess.

But I think it behooves you and I, who have been granted the grace to outlive others who we have known and loved, to wake up every morning with the determination, and the decision to make our lives count for something; when others who possessed the same natural ambitions were denied the opportunity to do so.

By William McDonald, PhD. Excerpt from "(Mc)Donald's Daily Diary" Vol. 11