The sun is rising earlier these days as the big dog and I head out on our morning walks. The eastern sky is filled with a palette of orange hues and puffy clouds as we make our normal loop around the neighborhood.
We never know what we’ll encounter. Today, we came up a woman unloading the back of her SUV onto the driveway. Her left rear tire was really, really flat. She had an inflator attached, but it didn’t help.
I hesitated for a moment, then asked, “I don’t mean to be creepy, but can I help you?” Who wouldn’t trust an old guy in a Philadelphia Eagles cap walking a fawn-colored Great Dane?
She didn’t say, “Yes,” but she also didn’t say, “No.” She replied, “My son went to get his pump.”
I said, “If it’s okay, I’ll help you put on the spare.” She said it was okay, so I let her hold Willow’s leash, and I got to work. I loosened up the lug nuts, set up the jack, raised the car, and put the doughnut spare on in place of the flat tire. I let the car back down, tightened up the nuts, and she and I were on our way.
I learned that her name was Anne. She had lived here fifteen years. She bought her tires at Costco, so they would fix or replace it. She was on her way to work, but had called to let them know she’d be a few minutes late.
It added no more than ten minutes to our usual morning walk. We walk by Anne’s house almost every morning, so I’m sure we’ll see her again. I’m glad I could be a blessing today.
When I was getting ready to perform a wedding at a non-church venue in St Augustine last fall, the bride’s aunt took a cross pendant next door to the Basilica to have it blessed before giving it to her niece. Someone looked toward me and asked, “Why didn’t you just have him do it?” She just shrugged. 
When I went to visit M. in the hospital yesterday, her nurse was in the room, finishing up some charting and her sister sat nearby. As I walked into the room, M. said, “Hi, pastor.” The nurse immediately looked at her and said, “Now don’t you start cursing at him!”
Waite for it... 