West Virginia Rest Area

13Sept2006
Today we had an amazing meeting. First of all to set the scene, Peggy and I woke up in McKeesport, PA, a suburb of Pittsburgh, where we were to dump our load of stainless steel scrap. There was some delay - our delivery no. was missing, which delayed us about an hour till 8:00. Fine… We picked up the next load just 6 miles away. As we started out toward Henderson, KY with the new load, I asked Peggy to stop at the rest area in West Virginia, just 35 miles away, to see if a young man who works there, whom I’d met once several months ago, might be there today. I had stopped to fiddle at this rest area once. The young man was moved by the music because his grandfather who had died within the past year, had been a fiddler. The boy had inherited his grandfathers instrument, because he was the only one in the family interested in using it. Anyway, I never forgot that encounter, so today was a good chance to stop by to check up on the guy. When we got there, I ran into the restroom and stayed in there a long time. When I left the truck Peggy was starting to replace a headlight. When I finally emerged from the restroom, Peggy was inside the building along with a couple of whom I did not take any notice. I was focused on renewing my relationship with the young man. He was there! But here is the amazing part. As Peggy was working on our truck, a motor home pulled in right next to us. Peggy noticed the woman in the motor home seemed to be getting very agitated, which immediately caused her (Peggy) some concern. The door of the motor home flew open and the agitated woman flew out. It was Terri Smith - Peggy’s ‘cousin,’ whom she grew up with but hadn’t seen for 18 years. They last met at Terri’s grandmother’s funeral in Dallas. I remember Peggy going there with her dad shortly after we first met. Anyway, this was just incredible to meet Terry & her husband Tom, retired from police work in San Diego, and now relocated to Paris, TN. Tom & Terri were traveling with another couple in another motor home. It seems so incredible that every circumstance came together in perfect timing to bring us together at this rest area. Peggy and Terri were weeping and hugging. We visited for maybe 1 hour. I fiddled for them as well as for the folks working at the rest area (welcome center.) We had the best time at this serendipitous meeting. Some other folks who just happened to be there, were also blessed by our music. (Peggy sang ‘Touch of the Master’s Hand’.) Just amazing that God cares for us enough to direct our paths in this way. The college boy who was my reason for stopping there in the first place, had been very moved by my fiddling the first time I met him. Today his coworker - an older woman, told me that he had been having a hard time getting over his grandfather’s death, and she had told him at that time that my music was a gift to him from God. Now the second time I stop to see him, God brings us an amazing reunion. I think we’ll try to stop by at this West Virginia rest area more often just to see what happens next!