Facing the Unknowns

Sandra jerked the cord and the bus pulled over to the curve to let us off. We crossed Fourth Ave. and started walking down the dark road by the old Kingdome. "I'm scared," Valerie whined as she grabbed on to my arm and snuggled in close. Sandra took hold of my other arm and we headed down the pitch black four blocks to First Ave. "Just hang on and walk fast," I told the girls, trying to be braver than I really was. "We will be at Denny's soon and we can wait inside until Dad's bus comes."

It was Christmas Eve of 1976. Sandra was 10 and Valerie 8. Don was working, driving the evening shift of his Metro Bus. We wanted to be with him so we road a bus from our home in Des Moines and now were walking over to catch him on his route.

The lights around Denny's were a welcome sight but as we drew closer to our destination, to our surprise, Denny's was closed. A sign on the door read, "for the first time in the history of Denny's we are closing early on Christmas Eve and being closed on Christmas Day." I looked up and down So. First Ave and let up a silent, "Help, Lord." We still had 40 minutes before Don's bus was due and this was the scariest place I had ever been at 11:00 p.m. There was not a place anywhere within sight that we could go if we needed help...no phone booth....and no place to hide. We were all alone at a dark bus stop.

"Mom, I'm cold, Valerie shared as she snuggled close to me. I unbuttoned my coat and pulled it around a girl on each side of me, hoping to shield them some from the wind that was sending a chill right through us. "I'm so sorry, girls, Dad and I thought we'd have a warm place to wait for his bus," I confessed through shivering teeth.

The time went by slowly as we waited in the cold dark night. I would hold my breath every time a car went by, hoping they wouldn't notice us and stop. A few times it looked like the car was slowing down but God had heard this mamma's prayer and protected us.

All three of us became excited when we could see the lights of a bus in the distance. The girls left the warmth of my coat and began to jump up and down in excitement. All fear was gone....the night didn't seem as cold....the one we loved and were waiting for was pulling his bus over to the curb. My heart skipped a beat when the bus door opened and Don unbuckled his seat belt and stood to welcome us into the safety of his arms.

Today is New Year's Day....a new year....a new decade. It's so easy to get caught up with the scary things that face us this year. My mind goes to a friend facing her first year as a widow after being married 56 years, another friend facing the unknowns of her husband's recently diagnosed cancer, and a young couple that 's renting out their home they love and moving back with mom and dad to try and ride out the financial crisis of their business. Sometimes in the dark, scary night it's difficult to remember we have one who promises to be there for us.

I've often wondered how Mary, as a teenage girl, faced the unknowns of being impregnated by the Holy Spirit and given the responsibility of raising the "Son of God". The Scripture says, "Blessed is she who has believed what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished." (Luke 2:45)

Is facing the uncertainties of a New Year as simple as believing what we have been told? Psalms 91:14,15 (The Msg.) says, "If you'll hold on to me for dear life, says God, I'll give you the best of care if you'll only get to know and trust me. Call me and I'll answer, be at your side in bad times; I'll rescue you, and then throw you a party."

Don, the girls, and I had a great Christmas Eve. The bus was empty so the four of us sang Christmas carols to the tops of our voices. We chatted and played games and enjoyed the "gift" of being together. Soon Don's route was finished and we headed to an all-night cafe for an early morning breakfast. It was almost 4 a.m. when we arrived home. Don turned on the Christmas tree lights and laid down four sleeping bags by the tree. We all crawled in and let the blinking lights of the tree and soft classical music lure us into dreamland. We were safe....we were warm...we were loved...and thoughts of the scary evening was gone from our minds.

The unknowns of this New Year are not so scary when we stand on the promises of God's Word and believe that, "The eternal GOD is our refuge, and underneath us are HIS everlasting arms." (Deuteronomy 33:27 personalized)