You've Heard it Before...

..that old adage, "The Lord works in mysterious ways."

Well, it happened today. I can't believe it. It's been a hard week already. See, this summer, I'm dealing with my demons. I'm working in a hospital doing pastoral care. Seminarians know this program well. Affectionately, we refer to this program as CPE. However, my affection isn't overwhelming. Instead, I'm more or less terrified. And it got better today, but not before this mysterious work of God happened.

One of the staff chaplains came into the office while I was sitting at the desk. He checked my name tag and paused a moment. I thought he was just going to reintroduce himself. Instead, he asked, "Is your mother Diana Peters?" My stomach fell. My mother died 20 years ago. No one asks me this question anymore. It might be a normal question for anyone else. But, this is a question I never hear. I nodded. I think I deeply sighed and somehow managed to utter a "yes" as tears began to well up in my eyes again.

He asked about my brother and my father, by name. He remembered that my brother played hockey and my father coached. He remembered the hospitals that cared for her during her illness. He told a story about how she had once worn a clown suit. It was just a few minutes. But, I can't believe it. Twenty years later, during the summer that I choose to work out these demons of loss and fear of death, I meet someone that ministered to my mother twenty years ago. I meet one of the men that cared for her spirit while she struggled with her illness. Truly, the Lord works in mysterious ways. Isn't that amazing?