It has been a week since Mother's Day. The cards have been sent and received, the dinners have been enjoyed, the presents have been presented. And now we are back looking ahead to the next holiday.
Last year around this time, I was trying to make the most of my time with my grandma. Taking the time to visit her at the nursing home and bringing her some of her favorite treats and a bouquet of flowers, which she loved! She would always say, "I don't want flowers when I'm dead, bring them to me now so I can enjoy them!" Well, I made sure she enjoyed them every chance she could.
It will be seven months, in about a couple of weeks, since my grandma passed away. In honor of my grandma and her memory, I wish to tell you about a compelling experience she had many years ago. As I was reflecting and thinking about her, I remember something that happened to my Grandma which reminded me about her deep trust and faith in God.
We used to live on a boulevard named Augusta Blvd. from 1968 until about 1980. It was a wonderful boulevard, but as you may or may not know, there are no commercial properties or buses allowed on boulevards. It was a strictly residential street. If we wanted to go buy groceries, for example, we usually walked about a mile or so to go to the nearest grocery store or, for that matter, any store. My grandma and I would take our little grocery cart and make the walk from Augusta Blvd. to Chicago Ave. I would always go with her in order to help her bring the groceries back and also to translate and interpret for her, since she did not speak any English.
On this particular day, she decided to go on her own and pick up a few things while I was still in school. She didn't take the cart because she was only going to buy a few small things and wasn't planning on making any type of large purchases. Well, her intentions were good, but somehow the illusion and convenience of the grocery cart in the store gave her the impression that there were only a few items still in the cart. To her surprise and dismay, she managed to check out several bags of groceries! And now she had a problem! She had already paid for them, how could she put it all back? She decided to face her punishment and somehow brave the heaviness of the bags all the way back home.
At first, it wasn't so bad, but after a couple of blocks, she realized this wasn't going to be easy at all! She tried several methods: from carrying a few bags ahead and then coming back for the rest to walking and stopping. She kept this up for a very short time and finally succumbed to the fact that this would take her all day and would drain her physically. She stood on the sidewalk and clamored to God a simple, but desperate prayer! It went something like this: "Lord, please send me someone that can help me! I don't care who it is! Just send someone! I cannot carry these bags any longer! I need help!" In defeat and despair she cried out to the Lord! Perhaps she didn't think anything was going to happen, but she must have figured she had nothing to lose!
Almost immediately after crying out, a jalopy of a car pulled over to the curb and a jolly African-American gentleman stepped out of the car smiling! And without saying a word, opened the trunk, picked up the grocery bags and put them in. He then opened up the passenger door and help my grandma in. She said that at first she was a little bit scared, but that somehow her initial fear quickly faded and she got in. She gave the address to the gentleman in Spanish, not knowing if he understood her or not, and off they sped.
She doesn't know how, but the man drove straight to our residence and stopped the car in front of our building, let her off the car, opened the trunk and put the grocery bags on the sidewalk! He then went back to the driver's side and got in and sped off! All the time with a great big smile and a sort of kindness on his face! She never saw or heard from this man ever again. Upon coming home, she begins telling me the story of her grocery adventure and she could not stop thanking God for His provision!
To this day, we still don't know who it was or whether God sent an angel in disguise or simply touched the heart of a stranger who may have caught a glimpse of my grandma's dilemma and was moved to compassion! We don't know! Is it possible that it could have been an angel? Probably. I don't see why not. Here was a child of God in need with no options available. From the strange, yet wonderful order of events, I'm thinking more yes than no. : )
What I do know is that when my grandma prayed, God listened......and answered! : )
In memory of my grandma...
DARIA ESPINOZA
Dec. 10, 1908 - Oct. 25, 2008
James Lopez
5/17/2009
