The Lost Leading the Blind

Yesterday was an eventful day to say the least. I have a close friend in town from Louisiana. His name is Glynn and he is blind. He runs a blind ministry and travels all over the nation and the world meeting people and handing out braille and electronic bibles to blind people. It is a great work! Glynn called on Tuesday to see if I could help him out on Wednesday with a visit to a blind woman's house.

I ventured down to the coast where he was staying and picked him up. We then used his electronic GPS system to navigate to Nicole's apartment. Nicole had an appointment later that afternoon and was wondering if I could take her there. We decided to go out to lunch and then to the appointment. I was unaware, however, that she had just moved to the area 7 days ago and did not know her way around. I drove for over 30 minutes all around the area looking for a decent restaurant for us to eat at. NONE OF US knew where we were or where we were going. I even stopped and asked for directions which did no good!

Eventually we stumbled upon a little Chinese place that looked decent. Nicole had a rolling backpack she wanted to bring in - so I attempted then with my 6 1/2 month pregnant belly to get two blind people out of the car, get them to the sidewalk, get the rolling backpack, rejoin them on the sidewalk, get one person on each arm (neither had a cane) plus the rolling backpack and my purse and then proceed to open and walk through a single-wide door without slamming either of them into anything.

Next we meet the staff of the restaurant. Big surprise...they don't speak English. They guide us through a narrow space, past a fountain with huge vegetation. I manage to get one person through without having a leaf hit them in the face...but not so with the other. Whoops. They lead us to a tiny table and I ask if they have anything bigger. They attempt to negotiate with me in broken English until I finally just walk past them to a six-person table and seat us all myself. It turns out Glynn is left handed and I sat him to the right of Nicole, so after some blind musical chairs we are settled. After reading two menus, learning Chinese, cleaning up a tea spill, pouring soy sauce, a potty break, and a trip to Rite Aid to get some Tylenol for Nicole, we are on the way (by the way, there are about 75 different types of tylenol on the shelves). I get Nicole to her appointment - which is on the third floor of a building - I get Glynn back in the car to take him back to the hotel. I forego the GPS and instead pull out a road map from the glove compartment...a much better choice. We made it to the hotel without getting lost.

Glynn was traveling with a friend so he was able to stay at the hotel on the Recruit Depot Base down by the coast. By this point I really have to pee! We get there and finally get him a coke out of the vending machine, which won't take his dollar, and get to his room. His key has somehow become unmagnetized. Unfortunately, there is no front desk. We instead have to locate a "billeting and check in" office somewhere on the base. He calls a friend who gives us some strange directions and 10 minutes later we are lost. I stop to ask a Marine where the office is and he asks me if I am here for my son's graduation from boot camp. WHAT!? Most people think I look about 19. This guy somehow thinks I look 39. I'm thinking, "I've got to find a mirror! Has it been that stressful of a day!?" He very kindly walks me over to the building and we get the key re-programmed. I get Glynn back to the room and finally get my bathroom break. After all that it is 5:15 and I am stuck in California rush hour traffic.

I sit in my car and laugh hysterically for at least 5 minutes. Did all that really happen or was it just a dream?

Even after all of that I feel incredibly blessed. God has given me sight and that is something I take for granted everyday. I will praise Him for such an immense blessing. And I will praise Him that there are devoted servants like Glynn who reach out to those living in darkness and guide them to the light. Mike said he would have paid money to see a pregnant woman guiding 2 blind people and a rolling backpack around. To be honest, so would I. I think it must have looked hilarious. Especially when that leaf hit one of them in the face.