Blue Light ... Special!

It was a warm summer evening ... driving with the top down.

Friends were in the car ... new friends ... there was a lot of laughter ... and story-telling ... as we flew down the road ... from dinner to dessert.

The road we were traveling has been altered ... more than once ... in recent years.  Later, it struck me as funny that it was a road that I had spent years ... trying to get changed ... in another life.

It's a road that I rarely drive on.  So I was totally caught off-guard by the speed bump ... that appeared out of nowhere.  And when I say we flew ... well, it was a literal description!

Fortunately, we weren't going THAT fast ... just a little too fast for the speed bump. And the last minute braking ... kept it from being a jarring experience  of epic proportion.

It was more like a carnival ride ... with a sudden rise ... a little bit of glide ... and a thump of a touchdown.

Shaken ... but not stirred ... laughter & lively conversation continued ... as we made our way towards dessert.

A random glance in the rearview mirror ... brought forth the sinking feeling.

Blue lights!  How special is that?!?

Calmly I pulled over.  At least I was outwardly calm.  There had been no speeding involved.  I was sure of that.

As I dug around in my purse & glove compartment for license, registration ... all of the things the officer was going to ask for when he got to the window ... a text message arrived ... from those traveling in front of us ...

Hope you have your seat belts on!

It made me smile.  That's what friends do ... when you're faced with an uncertain situation ... they remind you of what's really important.

Dinner had been delightful. A celebration of sorts ... of good friends & family ... in recognition of God's grace and a positive outcome.  As the food was placed on the table, I was asked to bless the meal.

My friend that made the request had no way of knowing that praying out loud like that is always a little awkward for me.  My conversations with God are most often casual, run-on dialogues that are started and stopped at spasmodic intervals throughout the day.

And even though I am a great impromptu speaker ... somehow ... phrasing a spoken prayer always makes me feel inadequate.

I am not sure what I said ... something about friendship ... and the joy it brings to life, maybe ... all I know is I felt like I was rambling on and on ... making little or no sense.  There is no doubt that anyone else at the table could have done a better job ... of blessing that food.

Not sure why that ran through my mind ... as I was sitting in the parking lot ... waiting on the officer to approach ... but it did. 

"Do any of you know why I pulled you over?"  

The top was down ... so it was easy for him to address all of us. 

We all shook our heads ... Noooooo.

"Well, when you came across that speed bump ... there was a lot of ... air," he continued.

Sheepishly, I smiled and acknowledged that he was definitely right about that.  I went on to tell him that I didn't often drive on that particular road and wasn't aware of the speed bump .. until I was right up on it.

Taking my license & registration, he nodded, "There was definitely a lot of air!"

While we waited for him to do ... whatever he was doing ... back there in his car.  We started speculating on how long he'd been driving behind us with the blue lights on ... it had been several miles ... and an entirely different road ... since we had encountered the speed bump.

Even with the top down ... none of us had noticed the flashing blue lights ... behind us.  Too much fun was being had ... watching the road ahead.

I reminded my front-seat passenger of a conversation we had had earlier in the evening.  An
out-of-towner ... it was the circumstances of the week ... that had brought us together.  The connection had been fairly instantaneous ... and a real friendship has been forged by the experience.

"There is no doubt we could get into some trouble together!"  That's what I had said to her as she hopped in ... to ride with the top down ... to dinner.

... and again ... we both laughed at the absurdity of it all.  You see, all of our shared time this week has been an adventure.

The officer returned with his pad ... and my documents.

"Not everyone would be as nice as me," he said.  "Someone else would probably be giving you a ticket ... but I don't want to ruin your Saturday evening."

A warning. That's what he gave me.  Just a warning.  In writing.  To slow down ... to pay attention ... to focus on what's right in front of me.

He was very nice.  We all thanked him.  As my passenger shared with him about her out-of-town status and her own law-enforcement connections ... I felt the little prod ...

You see, it was the second warning of the week ... to impatiently wait patiently ... to keep my eyes on the activities at hand ... and my heart open to what's coming next ... to live fully in the moment ... to let God take care of the rest.

The first one had come from a friend ... earlier in the week ... who always makes me see myself through the eyes of accountability:

"Funny, you write about God's plan, listening for it, observing it, experiencing it.  

BUT you always get side tracked by MJ-time.  I want it NOW!  You have to move forward with things you are doing and let God do His thing. He has been doing a darn good job of things using God time since ... oh Day 1."

It was a dead-on bulls eye.  And in all fairness ... it didn't come out of the blue ... I pretty much asked for that one.  And my friend delivered ... right on cue.

That's what friends do ... after all ... they remind you of what's really important ... when faced with an uncertain situation.

I had to smile as I put all of the stuff back into the glove compartment and took to the road once again.

There was much laughter ... and good-natured ribbing ...  as we enjoyed our dessert treats. 

The experience was like a very personal ... blue light special.  That's what I said to my friends. 

Remember the blue light special?!?!

It was created in the early 60s by a K-Mart store manager ... to move ... slow merchandise.  You'd be wandering through the store when a voice from above would announce:  "Attention K-Mart shoppers!  There's a blue light special on .... aisle so-and-so."

It was a powerful message.  No matter what you were shopping for ... you stopped and focused on what was being presented ... in that real-time moment.  It definitely captured your attention.

A blue light special ... is a planned ... surprise.  Guaranteed to bring value to your experience.

God knows I love surprises!  And unexpected messages ... moments that cause me to pause ... long enough not to miss the value ... that's being added to my life ... in real-time.

No doubt He knew I would see the humor ... in the blue lights ... and that I wouldn't miss the warning ... to not get in a hurry for what's coming next ... to wait on Him.


I've had time to think about what I would have liked to have said ... as I blessed the food ...  I will share it now and simply bless the memory:

Hey, God!  Thank you so much for friends ... the kind who share life ... the trials & the celebrations.  And especially for friends ... who become family ... and family who become friends. Friends who open their hearts ... and their lives ... in real and genuine ways.  Each of us .. at this table ... are blessed beyond measure ... by the others here.  
May you continue to bless us ... every day ...

as our lives continue to unfold ... in Your perfect time ...

... and thank you, God ... for ... blue light ... specials.

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(c) July 2012