God Meets Us Where We Are

By Connie Fowler

A while ago, I stopped for a hike in the Jacksonville woods with my dog, Bud. It was a perfect almost-spring day. Cool and damp with just enough sun-breaks to warm my face and send oak-limb shadows across the trail. Bud loped along ahead of me stopping often in mid-stride to sniff at a myriad of smells pleasing only to a dog.

We walked for quite a while and never saw another person. I wondered why, but really I enjoyed the solitude. I also wondered why I felt a little blue on such a beautiful day. I sat down on a bench that happened to be right at that spot and with my chin in my hands prayed, “Dear God, I don’t know why I am a little down. Meet me here.”

As usual, I didn’t sit long. I continued my walk, wandering down the paths, hopefully towards where I parked the car. I stopped to check out a trail sign, when children’s cheerful chattering broke the silence. “Hi! What’cha doin’?” I asked the two and then another who was just rounding the bend in the trail.

“We’re hiking and picking up things for a project.” The boy said. “Oh! Hi doggie!” “Mom, look! Here’s a dog!” The little girl squealed.” “What’s his name?” asked the other girl.

“Bud,” I said. “Is this the trail down to the road?”

“Yes.” “Can we pet him?” “Ok,” but let him sniff you first.

“Mom cautioned them, too, and in a few minutes they were Bud’s new best friends, especially when they picked up some excellent throwing sticks.

“Can we play with him, Mom?’ One delighted child begged.

“So you two can stay back here and talk.” gestured the helpful younger girl to her Mom and me. We smiled at her and each other.

“I’m Jenny.” The kid’s Mom introduced herself shyly.

“I’m Connie.”

We visited as we followed the three cheerful stick throwers and one excited dog down the trail. I found out Jenny home schooled the kids, that they used to live in our area but now lived in town. They missed the country so came out to walk in the woods. I shared about my neighbor girls whose Mom taught them. We exchanged a few more bits of pleasant conversation and before I knew it we reached the turn off to my car.

“Nice meeting you all.” I told them.

“Bye Bud.” One called back as they walked away.

“Nice meeting you!” Another kid chirped as she skipped across the bridge.
“God Bless you!” I heard the little one exclaim over her shoulder as I turned toward my car.

“God Bless you, too!” I returned smiling and almost skipped a step or two myself.

It turned out to be a not-so-blue day after all. The hike was fun and I thanked God for meeting me in a very pleasant, unexpected way; a little girl’s God Bless You. “He sure did, didn’t he?” I told Bud the dog.

Connie Fowler writes from Jacksonville, Oregon.