Slice of Life March 4th, 2009

Luck was on my side as I approached the south entrance of the middle school.  An adult was waiting to dismiss the students and opened the door for me.  It's a long walk to the front of the middle school from the back parking lot. 

The walls were empty and rather quite for a middle school.  I mentally paused for a moment to consider how different they would be in just minutes when the final bell of the day would ring. This mental picture of students streaming out of classrooms; shouting, laughing, pushing each other caused my feet to mover faster.  I best reach my destination before the fox enters the hen house so to speak.

I begin to climb the one flight of stairs to the second floor when all of a sudden I'm thrown back 22 years to my high school days.  The memory overwhelms me and I stopped to study the details.  

He always stood just inside the balcony gym doors, which connect at the landing of the first flight of stairs.  There he stood every morning in his light gray, bomber style leather jacket with his three buddies, hanging out or waiting.  I'm still not sure to this day.

I stood frozen.  Struck by how quickly my mind traveled back to that moment in time.  

It was just a brief, fleeting moment that we made eye contact every morning as I made my way to my locker on the second floor.  I had to keep moving with the flow of traffic and by no means was I allowed to stop, walk over and join him with is buddies.

I can still feel the anticipation, even today.  How, as a sixteen year old, I looked forward to those few seconds each morning even if we'd spent two hours on the phone the night before. Those seconds of eye contact, the brief exchange of facial expressions set the tone for my day to come.

Bam!  I'm just as quickly shaken from my flashback by the ringing of the bell. I continued my climb still in shock of how vivid the memory was for me.  Then slowly I begin to remember the not so wonderful moments and the not so wonderful exchanges of facial expressions. 

I continued on my way overwhelmed with gratitude and thankfulness that the plan for my life at sixteen was not to be.  Today, I thanked God for unanswered prayers.