Yesterday I was traveling from Minneapolis to Providence. I got to the airport early and wandered around poking into the shops and getting some breakfast, I took the Snoopy picture below and then I made my way to the gate. At the gate I noticed someone who looked familiar to me. But I wasn’t sure so I didn’t go over and say anything. I would hate to make a mistake and find out that someone wasn’t who I thought they were.
My flight from MSP (Minneapolis/Saint Paul) went to ORD (Chicago) and from there on to PVD (Providence), spend many days in the airports and cities no longer have names. I thought to myself, if this person is who I think she is then she is from Rhode Island so if she is in the waiting area for this flight then she is definitely who I am thinking she is. Well she was in the waiting area but I still did not go over and say hello. I kept wondering if she would recognize me but she did not.
I got on the flight and saw her and her traveling companion get on the flight. I had checked my bags and noticed that she only had a backpack so she probably checked her bags too so I figured that once we got to Providence, then I would say hello.
Once I landed in Providence and made my way down to the baggage claim I saw her and went over and asked, “Is your name ….?” It was. She looked at me like she couldn’t place me and so I introduced myself. She then remembered and we exchanged pleasantries and the perfunctory catching up about our respective lives.
Well after those fairly uncomfortable 5 minutes I moved to the other side of the carousel and waited for my bags. The whole time I thought about who this person was and what she had meant to me years ago. As I stood there watching the bags come around Garth Brooks’ song Unanswered Prayers was playing in my head. I thought of the intense feelings of youth and how emotions had run so high at that time, but in this moment I couldn’t recall one iota of those old feelings. What I did feel was nothing but a feeling of complete closure on that chapter in my life and total happiness for the gifts I have been given, most importantly the gift of my wife, Allison. I love you Allison with all my heart and thank God for bringing you into my life.
In case you are unfamiliar with the song here are some of the more meaningful lyrics.
Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers
Remember when your talking to the man upstairs
That just because he doesn’t answer doesn’t mean he don’t care
Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.
She wasn’t quite the angel that I remembered in my dreams
And I could tell that time had changed me
In her eyes too it seemed
We tried to talk about the old days
There wasn’t much we could recall
I guess the Lord knows what he’s doing’ after all.
And as she walked away and I looked at my wife
And then and there I thanked the good Lord
For the gifts in my life.