Every Christmas, they play a litany of Christmas themed movies depicting unbelievable miracles, usually dealing with love and happiness. In reality, some of the miracles we experience are far less exciting and obvious. I think we get caught up so much in the spectacle and highlights that we sometimes take for granted things that happen. Sometimes I tap the dashboard of my Saturn the same way I would pet a beloved dog, because I know this car endures and lot and performs far beyond expectations getting me there and back again safely and efficiently. It's a miracle, and that's where my Christmas miracle begins.
While talking with my hiking buddy today, I remembered how close I came on my commute to a hospital bed this week. Tuesday morning, I watched from the corner of Sloan and Owens as the Clark County work vehicle (a Ford F-450) was t-boned by a young kid in a sedan. As far as I can tell, the sedan plowed right into the truck at full speed, as if he was completely distracted, and pushed the truck at a 45 degree angle all the way to the opposite curb. He was probably speeding, or else he wouldn't be able to push the truck that far. Initially nobody stopped, so I checked both drivers. The young kid tried to drive away despite an empty radiator and broken half shaft. The other driver insisted he was fine despite the fact that his door was crushed.
It dawned on me that I was seeing little short of a miracle. If I had been earlier to the stop sign, it is very possible that the young kid would have smashed headlong into ME. From the damage sustained by the truck, and given the location of the hit, I think he would have killed me right then and there. My Christmas miracle is that I get a 2017. Now I don't think that other driver deserved it or needed the hassle, but he was a better choice. His truck was large enough to protect him from the gravest of consequences. His truck wasn't his personal vehicle, so he isn't financially out anything. He seemed ok. I know I am.
Despite my hopes, 2016 turned out to not be particularly spectacular or memorable. While it will be the best financial year of my life, it doesn't really stand out in any other way besides not being painful. Nobody died, nobody rejected me, and the dean finally retired. I'm still not promoted, but I did get my 4.5% raise, and the legislature promised not to cut our salaries since the state budget is still under duress. So, since I made it to work safely, I'm starting out 2017 without any assurance of suffering or malaise.
I really wanted 2016 to be amazing. I really hoped that things would change that were eternally significant. I recognize however that there are still really only two things about my life I would change. First off, I would like to be recognized and rewarded for my work with a promotion/raise/better job. In the last two years, I've applied for six different jobs/positions, and I only got an interview for one of them, so I'm concluding that for some reason this is where I ought to be. I know that my church leaders seem very convinced that I belong as a Sunday School instructor for the high school age kids; I still think they're nuts, but they also seem to be correct. Secondly, I ask God to please provide a partner. I didn't even meet anyone in 2016 I really wanted to get to know. I figure it will take little short of a standing miracle to introduce me to someone who will love me, appreciate my love, and stay with me, but I did see a standing miracle that day, so I know that anything is possible. It's still the season of perpetual hope. At least, thanks to Divine Providence, I get another chance next year.
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