Perfect Timing - Sunday, March 21, 2010

Have you ever had a "God Moment?" It is a space in time when something unusual or amazing happens and the timing is so precise that it had to be God. I had one such moment today, but first some background information is needed.

For a number of months, I have been planning to host a "thank you" dinner for all the people who have accompanied me to chemo treatments, the doctor’s visits, etc. I wanted to do something special for each person who re-arranged his/her schedule or took time off from work in order to support me. The dinner is to be held at one of my favorite organic restaurants in the area. Planning has progressed steadily. On Friday, I needed to contact Elizabeth, the Events Coordinator, in order to make the final menu decisions. I e-mailed her, left a message on her cell and at the restaurant, all to no avail. I really wanted to complete the planning, but it seemed as though I had to wait until whenever she had time. Well, yesterday, I had a sudden desire to have lunch with my sister at said restaurant, but could not because of a prior appointment. So, we agreed to eat there today. After church, we drove there as planned. There was a twenty-minute wait to be seated, so my sister gave the hostess her cell number to call when our table was ready. We both meandered around the waiting area perusing books until her phone rang. As I made my way toward the dining room, I saw a woman talking on her cell seated at a table in the café area where patrons often enjoy coffee or desserts. As I passed by I heard her say, "Hello, so and so, this is Elizabeth....." I recognized the voice as that of the same Elizabeth who is the Events Coordinator for this restaurant. (We had never met in person, but had talked on the phone several times.) I wheeled around with a look of shock on my face, interrupted her and said, "Are you Elizabeth? I am Joan." "Joan Petrillo?", she asked. I nodded and then asked her to come to my table when she finished her phone conversation. She agreed to do so. To make a long story short, we finished planning the event to my satisfaction. She also gave me a nice break on the price. While we were talking, the waitress brought the bill and my sister busily calculated her portion. She then interrupted us to tell me that she could pay me in cash if I would put the bill on my credit card. At that point, Elizabeth told my sister that the restaurant usually pays for their client's lunch during planning meetings. Though my appointment was spontaneous, they paid for our meal anyway. So, a $25 lunch cost us only the tip. I left the restaurant completely amazed at the timing of the whole thing. You see, Elizabeth does not work on the weekends and only "happened" to be there for about a half an hour today. Had we eaten lunch there yesterday as desired, I would have never met her, nor enjoyed a free meal. All I can say is, God is so good!