REFLECTIONS

What Might Have Been

Philip’s eyes fell as he watched the bus pull away without him. This one had no more room. Neither did the one the next day; or the next. He so wanted to start his annual trip to Mexico and don his Santa outfit to greet the needy children there—especially the little boy with the sad eyes. But the buses were full. Philip had to wait.

So, while he waited, he continued his daily routines. Breakfast at the usual place, a brief visit with an employee of a familiar store, and a stop by the post office in hopes of a message from anyone who cared who he was. Such was the daily ritual.

His hand may have trembled a bit as he opened the post office box with little expectation that a surprise might be waiting. This time there was. He noted an unfamiliar return address from a faraway place, but Philip recognized the name of the sender. He tore into the envelope, being careful only to preserve the return address. The note read:

“Dear Philip, I hope this letter finds you, and that you are well…” A tear came to his eye as he read the words from a lost love. Someone did care.

Throughout the day, Philip read and reread the letter, each time provoking tears to stream down his cheeks. “Ah, I would not have seen this lovely note for weeks but for the bus reservation problem,” he thought. “Perhaps I would have seen the little boy with the sad eyes sooner; but for sure, I would not have known that Imattered to someone from my past. I would still feel alone, unwanted. How blessed I am that the buses were full. God is good.”

*****

Our ways are fraught with poor judgment, limited foresight, and selfish desires. God’s ways are perfect. A trip is delayed, but while we wait we travel our usual pathways to perhaps encounter a long-lost friend, or make a new one, or an uplifting letter arrives.

Today awaits with renewed hopes and rekindled dreams. Regrets from what might have been are erased by joys unplanned—

Each a blessing from God.

“You are the light of the world,”

Richard +www.reflectingthesavior.org

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