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I would like to share an experience, something that happened to me yesterday during a beautiful summer day, just the kind i love to walk about and revel in, which was what i did, After ending a stroll around my block , i decided i would go sit on the back patio of where i live and contemplate life. I passed my grandson's car parked in the drive way on my way there . After settling into a chair, i sat there, basking in what might be my last summer on this earth because at my age tomorrow is not promised. Gradually, i became immersed in deep thought about life and its meaning and my entrenched resistance to religion. Slowly emerging from my pondering, i casually gazed around and noticed that my grandson's car was gone from the driveway and i hadn't even heard him leave because i was so deep in thought. Since i was getting hot and thirsty i decided i was ready to retreat into the cooler confines of my bed room. Knowing the back door to the house was always kept locked, i went round to the front, it never occurring to me that when my grandson left, he would lock the door. But, "lo and behold", that's what he had done, apparently thinking i was inside the house , chilling in my bedroom. So, there i stood baking in the heat, locked out; no phone with me, not to mention there was no one immediately available for me to call. I have never had anything but a nodding acquaintance with my white neighbors and at 1 o'clock in the afternoon, all the adults and able-bodied ones were probably at work. I took myself back to the patio and, after checking, sure enough the back door was locked. I took a seat, convinced because i was totally deserted, that i was in a dire predicament dangerous to my health , having nothing to anticipate but drying out in the sun until my daughter came home from work 5 hours later. My grandson was also gone for the day. What to do ? What to do? Time for more contemplating. i thought how i was the star of a scenario where i needed some help from the lord so many of my folks call upon in a time of need. Finally bestirring myself, i got to my feet and started investigating the house windows accessible from the patio,. But much to my distress, they were all sealed, the storm ones having never been removed - except for the last one that looked into my daughter's bedroom. It had no storm window and was open just a couple of inches. After much exertion i managed to raise it. The screen was my next obstacle. Wrestling with it, i eventually managed to get it out of the way and all that was left was for me to drag a wrought iron chair over for me to stand on and try and wriggle through the small window. i was out-of-breath, dehydrated and over-heated, but i pressed on with all the strength that was left in my 83-year-old tired body. Struggling and twisting, after squirming side-ways, i managed to halfway way get through the widow. More scuffling followed until i finally got inside, falling to the floor, knocking over a table and a lamp. My mental state was slightly confused, and all i could think of was to pick myself up, go unlock and open the front door, - as if this was some kind of reassurance . When i did this, coming up the front walk was a huge, roly-poly, bald-headed black man, bringing to mind a genie from a bottle. I stood there staring at him and he smiled as if to reassure that i had no reason to be alarmed. At closer scrutiny i saw that he was wearing a uniform, and parked in front of the house was a big fork-lift truck. He informed me he was from the village and was there in the neighborhood to inspect the dead limbs they would be removing from trees the next morning and to tell residents to park off the streets. i nodded dumbly and he was on his way, as i thought how he could've probably helped me had he appeared a half hour early. Anyway, after a matter of minutes I was ensconced in my bedroom, relaxing on my recliner, imbibing a refreshing Gatorade, as the overhead ceiling fan circulated cool air. Within the space of an hour my desperate situation had totally reversed itself, prompting me to again engage in contemplation. Had help come from above in the form of a village worker who could've rescued me, a hero i had no need for because, calling upon my inner strength, i had done for myself, what no one else was there to do? I don't know. What i do know is that I've never had a problem with the idea that god helps those who help themselves. Praying for help in this situation was not something i had enough faith to settle for.

It was loooong over due.