BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR…

As 2010 comes to a close, I can’t help but look back to the end of 2009.

I remember saying a silent prayer that 2010 would be different. We were starting a new year and I did not want a repeat of the personal tragedies of 2009. My mom had two strokes and died; my sister started peritoneal dialysis; several cousins passed away, including one my age; and my sister’s partner’s two brothers lost all their belongings when an early morning Christmas Day fire spread through their apartment building.

Satisfied that 2010 would be different, I didn’t give that prayer a second thought. That is, until now.

January 10th: I woke from a sound sleep with a sharp stabbing pain in my side. It was so painful, I seriously considered going to the emergency room, but decided to tough it out.
After several tests at the hospital, it was determined I had a sluggish gall bladder.
Feb 3rd: Harry, my gall bladder, was permanently removed.
Feb 5th: my sister went into the hospital and eventually had surgery. Feb 5th was also the start of “The BIG Snow”,
Sept 2nd: I went into the hospital for a week. Wound up with an irregular heartbeat.

Not to bore you with horror stories about defective body parts, there really is a point to this story.

In 1979, I was the only meter maid on the shift. I had the entire ‘business section’ of my town to patrol. It extended east to west from First Street to Fifth Street, and three blocks north to south. That included all the intersecting side streets and two parking lost. I walked my ‘beat’ two or three times a day.

One particular summer day, it was overcast. Rain was expected, but I figured I’d be back at the station before it started. I turned the corner at First Street onto Railroad Street. The gray clouds turned darker. The storm was moving in faster than I’d hoped. I offered a silent prayer. God, I wish I get under some shelter before it rains.

I hurried as all I had left to cover was Railroad Street and one parking lot on the other side of the tracks along the river. Just as I got under the bridge spanning the river, the heavens opened up. It poured; I was soaked. One of the business owners on Railroad Street invited me in until the rain passed. It did, several minutes later.

After I finished checking all the meters, I reflected as I walked back to the station the need to be specific when praying. God waited until I got under the bridge before letting it rain.

So my friends, just like December of 2009, as we stand at the end of 2010 bridging into a new decade, I pray and wish for a better year in 2011. For all of us, I wish good health, financial blessings, and peace of mind.
And remember: be careful what you wish for or pray for. It may come true.