the providence of north carolina

Okay, it is nearing 100 degrees in Chicago this week. Our car has been without a blower fan on our a/c for some time. I was sitting in the coffee shop studying yesterday, dreading leaving because the heat was just unbearable. If you are moving, it's not that bad.....but this is Chicago and there is no such thing as free flowing traffic. So you end up standing still, as the car heats up faster than my oven pre-heats. It is miserable. So, I decided - I have had it! I am getting that thing fixed! So, I call a local Honda shop and price it and also decide to get the 225K tuneup on it.....I haggled a free rental car from them, since the cost kept skyrocketing. (It went even higher after they discovered an internal oil leak while doing the tuneup - ugh) Our car is old - but it has a lot of life left - it just needs a little pick me up. So, we are forking out the money to keep her on life support.

To get to the point......I have a rental car for a few days. It is a nice little itty bitty Kia Rio. So, I was running some errands in it yesterday afternoon (loving the a/c in it!) and when I emerged from Target, I walked to where I thought I had parked the car. Seeing a little Kia - but with North Carolina plates, I was very confused. I did a double take and looked around the lot, thinking - where is the car I rented?? So, I went up to the one with NC plates and peeked inside and saw my bag in there. I had no idea that I was driving a car with NC plates. For some reason I like driving with out of state plates. People tend to be more forgiving on the road, they assume you don't know what you're doing. So, throughout the afternoon I would remember - wow, I have North Carolina plates! I have no idea why I found this to be so entertaining, but I did.

Around 4:30pm, as I was driving Graham home I received a call from a YWCA advocate to see if I wanted to shadow a hospital call. I was hesitant, because I still hadn't dropped Graham at home and I was all dirty and sweaty. As I was about to say, "can't do it today" I was overcome with a feeling of....."what are you thinking? You need to get a shadow out of the way so you can start taking calls. It's not THAT out of the way. We are almost home.....go....go....go" and I said to the woman on the phone....."YES! I will be there!"

As I headed out to the hospital I "centered my chi" and did my ritual of breathing and prayer/meditation while in transit - like I used to do when I did hospital calls/rape victim advocacy in St Louis.

I can't divulge much information about the call, because of confidentiality.......but, after about 30 minutes with the assault victim and her family member, it came out that they had moved here from North Carolina. What a coincidence. As I left, I told the advocate I was working with about the North Carolina plates and my last words to her were, "what providence!"

As I pondered this coincidence on my way home, this intense feeling of peace came over me as I thought about how I felt this to be a divine message that I am exactly where I am supposed to be, doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing. This work has felt like a calling - a spirited, beautiful calling - for a long time now......and the gears in in motion for school, volunteer work, etc to keep all of this moving. I am so excited about the program Loyola.....so excited about working with women......and so excited that these plans I was once enthusiastic, yet hesitant, about now seem to be in full swing and it's happening!! I have faith and trust and so much joy about this path. It really is the BEST birthday present I could receive. This experience yesterday was like a little Birthday card from God saying, "I love you and am proud of you - work it girl!"

And I get to drive the Kia - my little Birthday card from God - for a couple more days!