Miracles in the Parking Lot

Miracles of giving and receiving ebb and flow from moment to moment. That Divine flow of goodness is always present when we pay attention.   The caveat is that one must be present in the moment to capture them as they occur.  Sometimes, in reflection, their perfection is breath taking.

Saturday in the parking lot was one such day. Here follows the the anatomy of miracle making.

I awoke abruptly at 7:15 a.m. with a clear thought that I should visit a garage sale.  Now, that is unusual, since I never attend them and I’d been looking forward to sleeping in.  I’d read about a multi-family sale the evening before, so decided I would listen to the inner prompting and see what was there.

Nothing!  I sat in my car, wondering why in the world my intuition had rousted me so early.  In the wondering, a thought popped into my head that I should call my friend Sandra. “Want to take a walk?” I asked.  Sure, come one over, we’ll walk to the beach.  We never got there…

Five minutes into our walk we saw vendors setting up all sorts of goods in a parking lot, and we wandered over to take a look.  It wasn’t yet open, but I spotted a lovely outfit and was told I had to come  back when they opened for  business.  We returned later and at our very first table we met a most delightful woman selling vintage and designer clothing.  I had no intention of buying anything.  A good 45 minutes later I had two bags full of treasures, each purchase more beautiful than the one before. I also had a new friend and after speaking with her husband I’d found a possible partner for a documentary I’m exploring.

That was miracle enough.  But there was more.  As we turned to walk away, my eyes fell upon the most  beautiful hand carved teak screen.  Another vendor offered to sell it with the comment that her mother had given it to her 40 years ago, and that she had just decided to part with it.  I’d been looking for an original screen for my new home, and this was exactly it.  Two amazing miracles of receiving. The price itself was miraculous.

But there’s more, again. Here’s where the miracles really get interesting. Sometimes we are the answer to someone’s prayer.  Sometime that person is a total stranger.  Had I not been there at precisely that time, at precisely that place, our paths would not have crossed.

I asked about the story of the screen, so that their history might become a part of my history.  She began to talk and I listened. The great miracle was that through our conversation she healed a lifetime of believing that her mother didn’t love her.  In the most amazing intimate context, in the middle of a parking lot, a lifetime challenge of feeling unloved dissolved and a major healing of memories occurred.  Her mother, deceased 15 years, came alive to her daughter once more as she uncovered the deep mystery behind her mother’s strange gift.  Ironically, she had just re-read her mother’s old letters to her the night before…

The true gift and peace offering from a mother 40 years earlier was finally received.  There’s a whole lot more that could be said about what occurred in the parking lot on Saturday, but some things are beyond words.