I Missed the Flight, and…

I arrived to the terminal at 12:28 , walked up to the desk, and… was informed that they had just closed the desk and I had missed my flight. No more flights to NYC were set for that day. Oh, how aggravating!

No story or begging I could come up with could convince the airline to let me board, and so I was left with no option but to buy a new ticket on a different airline. Thank G-d, I was given a refund for the missed flight.

With much time on my hands until the flight, I started playing G-d and try to figure out why I had missed my flight; after all, it was the first time in my life that I had made such a mistake. I’m usually one of those who arrive together with the oldies even before the desk has opened…

Having read so many a book on Divine Providence, citing tales of so-and-so who missed his flight and was saved from a crash, or the guy who missed the train and was saved from certain death on 9/11, I could already imagine my plane getting high jacked and…. Blah blah blah… Just like in the movies.

Oh, if such a thing were to happen, what a story I would have to share! In my mind’s eye, I saw myself telling everyone how G-d had watched over me and preaching about how everything is so orchestrated by our Father in Heaven. Feelings of gratitude would permeate my being, and tears would come to the eyes of the audiences. And they would all (including me) turn over a new chapter in their lives.

BOOM…

Suddenly normalcy hit me like a bolt of lightning. How immature my thoughts have been! How cruel! NINETY PEOPLE DON’T HAVE TO DIE, FOR ME TO KNOW THAT G-D WATCHES ME.

Do the twin towers have to fall for me to know that G-d watches over me? Does sickness and death have to strike, Heaven forbid, for us to appreciate the miracle of life?

NO! We can see G-d in the wave of a leaf, and in the breaths we take. Every moment is a miracle, every step monumental. And every circumstance is an opportunity to experience G-dliness – even missing a flight when, Thank G-d, nothing happens.

Let us merit experiencing a truly miraculous world, one where every detail will clearly declare G-d’s glory. May it be soon, with the coming of Moshiach.

Amen.