"On Things That Make Me Go 'Hmmm...'"

There is nothing earth-shattering, generally speaking, about things that make me go "Hmmm."  There are no fireworks, no fanfare or public announcement over speakers, no reason to share on Facebook or Twitter.  Instead, they are incidents which unexpectedly come out of nowhere, causing me to consider, think, and reflect. 

What kind of experience falls in this category, one that doesn’t necessarily provide answers or conclusions, a “lightbulb” moment of epiphany?  Rather, they leave me with a sense of wonderment and an awareness of design, synchronization, timing, and order which is completely separate from me and my schedule of events.  

We all have them; I know we do.  At times they impact us, other times they fade quickly, filed away with the many daily happenings of our lives. 

A friend is in the hospital, and I had picked up a card to send to her.  Recovery is going to take a while, so I wanted to get it in the mail, offering support.  The idea was to put it in the mailbox before I left for work.  Remembering I had left it in my truck, I went to retrieve it, but it was nowhere to be found.  Having only recently cleaned out the inside of my vehicle, I knew I had left it on the seat.  Searching high and low, it had virtually disappeared.

A stop by the store was in order to purchase a replacement card, and the original goal would be accomplished. 

A gentleman was walking towards me as I headed to the card section.  There was something familiar about him, and as I walked past a name passed through my mind.  After choosing another card, I headed towards the checkout counter.  Glancing down an adjacent aisle, I saw him once again and made the decision to approach.  “Excuse me, I think I know you,” as I spoke his name and revealed mine.  “Yes."  The name and the face were a match.

We had been neighbors up a little country road outside a small coastal town 30 years ago, and it had been that long since I had seen him.  Standing in the shampoo aisle of the store, we visited for quite a while.  We spoke of that period of time in life, events of happiness and sadness since then, and present circumstances.  He is once again my neighbor, living just a few miles away.

I paid for the card and headed for the truck.  As soon as I opened the door my eyes spotted the card which I was certain had vaporized and disappeared and no, it wasn’t even hiding from view.  I had overlooked it repeatedly in my search.

An unplanned trip to the store, a “chance” encounter--I don’t try to figure out or understand these types of experiences, the "Why?" of them.  The intricacy of detail, the way circumstances are lined up and fall into place, the choreography in order to place two people at the same place at the same time never ceases to fascinate and intrigue me.  

At the base of these is the fact that my life is not my own, that One greater than I is in charge.  These are the things that make me go, “Hmmm…”  These are also the things that give me hope and an anchor in the midst of this crazy, insane world that is exploding all around.