Providence

Last Thursday was many things: my last day before vacation, a donor donation pick up in Marlton, gift drop off in Camden, Msgr. Mannion's Christmas party at the Camden Diocese, and, probably most importantly, our Atlantic City Cov's Christmas party. Besides the pressure to get everything I needed to get done before vacation completed, our President, Kevin Ryan, was coming to the party, which I had been told I needed to make special. Also, a nice group of folks called the Hope Mob had donated a large sum of money to ensure that our building was decorated and we had gifts for the kids...and they were sending someone to come film it all. Pressure.

The party was set to begin at 3pm with a service. After zooming all around South and Western Jersey for the first part of the day, I arrived around 2:40pm in case the Hope Mob photographer came early. When I walked into the building, there was hardly anyone around, including kids...? I started to scurry...where was everyone? Where were the kids? The photographer and Kevin were going to be here in 20 minutes and the building was practically deserted! 

2:45, 2:50, 2:55...I found one of my supervisors and we went back and forth with rhetorical questions that women shoot off under pressure: "Why isn't the lounge set up?" "Who is running the service?" "When are we starting?" "Where are all the kids?" "Why isn't anything done?"

3pm...5 kids in the building...no one running the service in site...What the heck!? Our site director came out of his office..."What time does the service start?" "3pm", I said. He just looked around at the empty lounge. "I don't know..." I said and shook my head. We gathered some folks to set up the lounge...I kept peeking out the front door to see if Kevin or the photographer were parking...I found our coordinator..."Where are all the kids???" She shook her head.

3:05, 3:10...add to this pressure that I was in charge of Santa Claus and he was scheduled to arrive at 4pm...after dinner which had to take place after the service. I saw Kevin pull up...oh my gosh...

And wonder of wonders...as Kevin fumbled outside trying to fill the parking meter (which he didn't realize he didn't need to do since it's "meter amnesty" time during Christmas in AC), the bell started to ring and kid after kid after kid flooded inside. Within 1 minute the place was filled with young men, women, and little ones...Who knows where they had all come from but it was an amazing thing to see. We even ran out of seats. I looked at our coordinator, lifted up my hands, and asked in humility, "Why do we worry?" She nodded, then shook her head in defeated agreement.

We began to get ready for the service...Kevin came in and began doing his thing...I was shooting pictures and trying to get everyone settled. I looked over into the reception area at one point and couldn't believe my eyes--the kid from the 7/11 "A Nice Surprise" post!? WHAT!? He saw me notice him and smiled. I flew over and started fussing all over him since I hadn't seen or heard from him in well over a year. He looked great, had a full time job which he'd had for many months, had his license and was driving. "I was driving by and saw you in the window so I just had to stop". I declared him a Christmas miracle and he blushed.

Even though the service started way late it was fine...Santa, thankfully, was late also...and the photographer never showed up so I got to take whatever pictures I though were necessary to show we had utilized the generous gift from the Hope Mob to the fullest. At the end of it all, I said to one of my co-leaders, "Remind me of this day when I start fretting about stuff...that God always works it out". That flood of young people coming in the building was something I will never forget...and a great assurance that, even in the midst of pressure and "oh-no-this-is-terrible" moments, God's Providence is always in control...