My cell phone is officially turned off in case you have been trying to call. I thought I would explain why since I can’t call anyone to tell them. Trying to decide how to replace it – regular phone, iphone, another kind of smart phone? This Sunday’s sermon was pretty hard hitting, though. Not sure I can justify the iphone. But that’s a topic for another blog. For now: the cell phone story:
I was sitting in my car outside my apartment on Southside Saturday afternoon gathering my belongings…car door open. Next thing I know two guys are at my door. One put a gun to my cheek and said, get her purse…get her purse. They grabbed my makeup bag and purse and ran off, leaving me completely unharmed. The first thing I thought was, shoot (well, I thought something stronger than that), they took ALL of my good makeup! That’s expensive makeup. Should I run after them and say, you can have my purse, but can I have that Chanel bronzer back?
But while it was happening, I also remember thinking – oh, that’s a gun. Wow. Wonder if I’m going to die. Well, if I die, that’s ok. I know where I’m headed, and I’m good with it. I really just had this peace. Now I don’t know if the peace would have continued if they had car jacked me, or done anything other than run away. But for the 60 odd seconds it was happening, I had peace.
So now I don't have a phone to call the police...to call anyone...so I drive to my mom’s house. She's not home, but I let myself in and immediately look up contact numbers for all my credit cards and cancel them. Then I realize it's 4:20, and I have to be at a wedding at 5pm. I dash home, throw on a dress and some heels I have – very cute – patent leather with zebra striped heels. As I’m getting close to the church I see a cop standing on the street in Five Points. I pull over and dash up to him, saying breathlessly, I need to report a crime! I need to report a crime! When I tell him I was mugged he immediately looks around – Where did it happen??? Where did they go???
Oh, no, it was earlier today…around 3pm.
3pm??? It’s almost 5, and you’re just now reporting this??
As this is the first person I’ve even told the story to AND he’s yelling at me for not reporting it immediately, I start to get a little “teary,” as sometimes I am wont to do. He takes my information, writes down the case number and hands it to me. And as I’m walking down the street to the church, which is several blocks away, a homeless-looking guy yells out, Honey, you work this area often?? I don’t understand what he means so I just smile at him and keep walking. Then it dawns on me…He thinks I am a hooker!!! Getting a reprimand from the police!!! Seriously? Do I LOOK like a hooker? Well, the heels are a little high… Now I’m doubled over laughing and can barely walk in my formerly cute/now apparently hooker-esqe heels.
I get to the wedding, am being ushered down the aisle and notice my usher guy chewing gum. I think…I really need a piece of gum right now. Can I have a piece of gum, I say? He gives me a strange look. Apparently that is not a normal request as one is being seated at a wedding. I think, he’s not going to give me the darn gum. I’ve been mugged!! I say, I need a piece of gum!! Immediately he reaches into his pocket and gives me the gum. But then tells the rest of the wedding party that some girl just got mugged…apparently on the way to the church…so I have some explaining to do after the wedding.
And everyone keeps asking, are you ok? Are you scared to go back to your apartment? You’re probably going to have a breakdown later on. But I didn’t. And I really was ok. And I wasn’t scared to go back to my apartment. I just felt like, well, “stuff” happens. And it can happen anywhere. I don't understand why I'm fine...but I really am fine.
Small group on Sunday. We’re discussing the Holy Spirit…being filled with the Holy Spirit. I’ve had…and still have some questions on that topic. How exactly does THAT work? Do you know? What does it feel like? Does it/he come and go? And someone says to me, you know, THAT was the Holy Spirit in you…giving you that peace. The peace that transcends all understanding. The peace that allowed me to feel like my life was in God’s hands....that God was in control of the situation.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I’ll knowingly place myself in harm’s way…or I’ll try not to. But I just have a feeling that God has something planned for me to do, and he’s not going to let me leave earth just yet.
I have done some really stupid things in my life – once I was sleeping in the Puerto Rican airport on the way home from St. Lucia instead of getting a hotel room. And decided it was a FINE idea to let the guy vacuuming around my suitcase take me to the beach during the day since my flight didn’t leave until the next evening. He drove me to a sandwich stand on the side of the road so I could get some lunch, then left me at the beach at the Hilton. And picked me up on his way back to work. Now, that was just NOT the brightest thing I have ever done. And I’ve done some other stupid things that I’m not going to write here. But I’m alive today for a reason. I don’t know how my life is supposed to look on a day by day basis. Or long term. But I’m here on earth to glorify God. I know that.
Oh, and the toe? That’s actually not part of the story, but I just had to throw that in there. A few people said to me, oh, Laura, you are the only person this kind of thing happens to. But I was telling a good friend the story, and SHE almost one upped me. Seems last week she was asked to put ice in a ziplock bag and help find her neighbor’s missing toe that was somewhere in the yard. But that’s her story to tell!
