Hurrying to Wait

Whenever a trip begins, it is a common practice to offer a prayer before leaving home.  While it would be a good practice for any driving excursion, it is a discipline reserved for extended trips to the regions beyond the local area.   The prayers usually goes something like, "Lord, we ask your blessing on this journey which is before us.  We ask for the blessings of safe passage there and back.  Keep us inside a place of safety where danger and harm cannot touch us.  Go before us, be around us, be behind us, create a bubble of passage where we can move safely.  And, Lord, keep us patient. Speed us up, or slow us down to keep us in a safe place."    

Today brought the day when a return to home was ahead.   Though I wanted to get home before darkness settled over the road, it seemed like every step was spent waiting on someone who created a problem and hindered the journey.  Wherever I hurried, it was only to wait.  Toward the end of this day of hurrying up to wait, I went into a sandwich shop, placed an order, and left with what turned out to be the wrong order.  

Back in I went.  Again I waited and paced while the error which was delaying the trip home was being corrected.  Fifteen minute later I walked out with the right sandwich fussing under my breath about the messed up order only to hear this word coming up from deep within me saying, "Enjoy the moment.  Pay attention.  The clerk might have been a part of the plan of God."  As I walked toward the car with the right sandwich in my hand, I laughed aloud and prayed, "Thank you, Lord."