Emotional Ditches

So there I was, sitting in the Tampa airport last week, wishing I wasn’t all alone, waiting for my flight to be called. I was headed to our big annual Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA) conference, held in St. Louis this year, and was feeling a little weepy because … well, because although nothing is catastrophically wrong, it’s been a pretty rough last few months.

I wasn’t really in the mood to marinate in Debbie stew. I knew I needed to get out of my own head. I’d fallen into a sort of emotional ditch … not really a pit, but certainly a ditch.

I had just finished talking it over with Papa God when I saw two stylishly clad feet plant themselves directly in front of me and heard a voice say, “Why, Debbie, I can’t believe you’re here!” My gaze traveled from the natty feet up to the even more stylish head of a woman I didn’t recognize, mainly because of the dark sunglasses on her face and floppy hat covering most of her hair.

“Well, hi there,” I muttered, not knowing what else to say. I couldn’t return her personalized greeting because I had no idea which person she was.

She said she knew I lived in the Tampa area and she’d wondered if I might be flying out to the AWSA convention that weekend (aha! – my first hint about her identity: she knew what AWSA was and that I was in it). She said she hoped she’d meet me in St. Louis (nod to Judy Garland’s terrific song and movie) but had no clue she would see me in Tampa, where it was a total fluke that she was waiting for her connecting flight, since she was from Buffalo (my second hint – her hometown).

[Side note: Tell me, why on earth would Southwest send someone from Buffalo to Tampa then right back up to St. Louis???]

Then when she kept talking and mentioned something that happened at an AWSA event last fall – that trip to Greece I loved, remember? – her identity clicked in my foggy brain. It was author and speaker Linette Rainville, of course – the little sweet thang that I had shared many a fun time with on our Greece adventure. I asked why she was flying incognito and she laughingly removed her hat and shades so we could share a huge warm hug.

But Papa God wasn’t finished yet – you know He does grace notes right! Would you believe that Linette and I had been randomly assigned seats in the same row of that enormous plane, and were able to switch seats to sit by each other and catch up nonstop all the way to St. Louis?

What a glorious, uplifting flight it turned out to be! Linette was just the soul-encouragement I needed. And it became my privilege to cheer for her at the conference when her book won a prestigious award (be sure to Google Linette Rainville – her books are terrific!). Girlfriends are our best therapy for each other!

I’m so, so glad that Papa God cares about our weepy moments as much as He does our jubilant ones. Maybe even more. I have no doubt that it’s Him I can thank for all the crazy “coincidences” that lifted me out of the emotional ditch I was in. Tune in next week for more grace notes and pics from St. Louis!

Okay, now it’s your turn, dearest BFF – what grace note has Papa God sent you recently? How is He working in your life to haul you out of any emotional ditches?