Godspots and Legacies

David and I attended an event a few nights ago entitled, "Leaving a Legacy", expecting to gain useful information in planning for our children and their children--things we had perhaps overlooked on our estate planning "To Do" list. I have to admit that the presentation fell short of our expectations, BUT the knowledge we gained was invaluable! Oh, I don't mean ANY of the information that the speaker shared; I mean the information we gathered from another couple sitting at our table. As we chatted before dinner, one of the couples shared with us that they, too, had a son attending UGA. We talked a little about the campus and about the plans our sons had for next year. I mentioned that limited mobility is an issue for Jonathon, but at no time did I say anything about WHY mobility was an issue. As we talked, another couple at our table (who knew of Jonathon's experiences) asked me how he was doing. Although they didn't say more about his situation, it was almost like a "lightbulb moment" for the other couple. At that time, the husband looked at my nametag and said, "You're Jon Clark's parents: I didn't make the connection!" He then told us that he and his wife had actually been at Sharp Top when Jonathon collapsed. He went on to tell us that he, in fact, had gone to the First Aid station to get the back board to put Jon on. While we are always interested in hearing from individuals who were at the retreat, it was what they told us next that really hit home. When the husband told us that he had retrieved the back board, his wife said, "Remember you wore your tennis shoes that day." (Normally I wouldn't think one thing about that, but she seemed to think it was important to share.) She continued by saying that he typically wouldn't wear his tennis shoes, but that when she questioned him about it, he replied that he just felt like he should wear his tennis shoes that day. WHY he felt compelled to wear tennis shoes wasn't revealed until he became the volunteer who RAN to the First Aid station (which, by the way, was uphill from the dining hall) to get the back board. Do you think that was coincidence? I certainly don't! I think it was another Godspot! I believe with all my heart that God told him to wear THOSE shoes on THAT day because he was going to need to RUN!!!

Earlier in the evening, I spoke with the doctor who had accompanied the group to Sharp Top-- remember, this was the first time a doctor had been on this particular retreat--because I wanted to tell him that he had been the subject of a speech Jonathon gave last week for one of his classes. I wanted him to know that the nature of the speech, called an epideictic extemporaneous, was to praise (or blame) a person or thing. In presenting an epideictic (yeah, I can hardly even say it!) speech, the attitude of the audience should be taken into account, particularly if the topic is of an emotional nature which Jonathon's surely was. Jonathon chose to praise Dr. Don not only for electing to go on the retreat but also for his accurate assessment of the situation on the morning Jonathon collapsed because that assessment and the decision to lifeflight him to Grady was key in saving his life. I also wanted him to know that Jonathon received 9 out of 10 points for his speech, with very favorable comments from his instructor. (Jonathon also told me that the instructor said he rarely gave 10 out of 10 points, so he was pretty pumped about his grade!) As I told the doctor all this he added that one of the things HE found to be so important in the events of that morning was that Bob, the youth director, had my cell phone number programmed into his phone. Well, what Dr. Don didn't know was that it wasn't MY cell phone number that was in Bob's phone--it was Jeff's! When Bob called Jeff, he never expected him to be home for the weekend; he assumed that Jeff would be at school and that he would get my number from him. To add to the awesomeness of God's hand in the experience is that Jeff was standing about three feet away from me when the call came in from Bob. Those few moments saved by not having to make a second call to reach me surely were key. Being able to speak with Dr. Don so quickly and give him Jonathon's medical history were critical in his assessment and in the chain of events that next occurred.

Oh, and one more thing I learned--the "tennis shoes" guy told me that one thing he found pretty cool was that when the EMTs arrived to take Jon to the hospital (although soon making the decision to have him airlifted), he noted that the driver of the ambulance was wearing a NASCAR jacket! How great is that? Maybe in that one moment in his life, that driver envisioned himself in one of the most important races of his life! And to me........he was!

So here we are, almost four years later and I am still in awe of God's total control over the events in our lives. Yes, He is God who sees the big picture, but He is also God who scripts every single detail! He tells us when to wear tennis shoes, when to come home for the weekend, when to keep cell numbers stored, when to chaperone youth group trips, and even when being a NASCAR fan might hold the key to saving another person's life. He holds each piece of the puzzle and in His time, he places each one into its very special place in our lives. Whew! Now THAT's the God I want in control of my life!

Maybe attending that program on leaving a legacy wasn't all that I had expected it to be...but just maybe it was more than I could have ever hoped for! Maybe the more I see God at work in my life and in the lives of those around me, the more equipped I am to share His love, grace, and mercy with others..........and maybe, just maybe, that's what leaving a legacy is all about!

"I want to leave a legacy. How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love; did I point to You enough?" ~Nicole Nordeman

"Those who know your name will trust in you,for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you." ~ Psalm 9:10