Where am I supposed to be?

Those closest to me know that I had the rug pulled out from under me a couple of months ago. The company I worked for closed without warning and filed for Bankruptcy. Since things were going well at work, it came as a surprise. I, along with some co-workers, went along in denial for a while before the finality sank in to us. The people you work with become friends and family. And, nothing would ever be the same for us no matter how much we all wanted to stay together.

I was left with some time on my hands, but ended up facing one challenge after another in the following weeks. It was all ordinary problems - the kind you face every day. A minor illness that dragged on probably due to stress, money issues, etc. Though they seemed huge, they became minor when a family member faced possible surgery. There's nothing like sitting in a surgeon's office to put everything in perspective.

On a particularly difficult day, two old friends called me out of the blue. They were just thinking of me and wanted to reach out to say hello. None of us have to wonder what power prompted them to call or why I was home to take the calls. I was fortunate to be surrounded by the love of friends. Several friends were there to wait in the hospital for test results over the course of several days. The longest day at the hospital was made easier by a dear friend that spent her birthday waiting with me. She simply said she was glad to be born on that day so that she could eventually be there at the hospital for me. One friend mowed our massive yard and kept a watch on the house. Other friends provided us with some delicious home-made meals. When there is a crisis in the South, we cook!

Thankfully, we were blessed and everything worked out okay. Slowly the day to day problems were again weighing on my mind. I started a new job and began learning a new routine. One day last week, I was late leaving the office and delayed even longer running an errand. I was pretty tired and really irritated at the delays. When I was finally on my way home, I ended up stuck in traffic. The reason behind the traffic tie up was an accident. Looking at the mangled cars, I was thankful that I had been running late so that I didn't end up in the middle of the accident. Further down the road, the bottom let out of the sky and I had to slow down to a crawl again. I really began to wonder if I'd get home before bedtime.

Forgetting about the good fortune of not being in an accident, I was getting bogged down in the stress of driving home in a thunderstorm. Then, a few miles from home, the skies cleared up and the most beautiful rainbow came out. It was so clear and bright that it looked like a painting. As I looked closer, I could see a faint rainbow next to the brilliant first one. A double rainbow! You just can't help but smile at the promise of tomorrow when you see a rainbow. It makes everything seem clear. I was where I was supposed to be at that moment. Wherever I am and whatever is going on around me, I know I'm where I should be at that moment. I also know that if I need help in that moment, it will be there. It may not be what I think I need, but in time, everything will become clear.