You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown

Last week I was heading to school, in a driving snow storm.

I had studied all day. I was brain-fried. There was no way I'd be able to remember all the stuff I'd read.

Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, the driver's side windshield wiper somehow went from slightly torn to shredded, making visibility a mildly urgent issue. At that moment I realized that the heater had stopped working, eliminating the defrost mechanism. To add insult to dubious injury, the low-fuel light chimed in, with it's not-so-pleasant beeping, letting me know that we were almost out of gas.

Oh brother.

Was I not supposed to take this test? Had the elements literally combined against me? What to do. I had left the cell phone at home, no gas station within a mile or so. . .

There was no time, I'd have to chance it. . .

Coasting into the parking lot, I realized that I had just enough time to make it to class. Battling a head wind, in almost blinding snow, I hurried across the frozen campus toward my building and shelter.

Throwing open the door, I darted inside, and shook the snow out of my hair. I'd made it!

The instructor mercifully gave a short lecture, allowing us slackers to cram in a small amount of studying before he administered the test. Arghhh!

"This test will probably take you 30, 35 minutes. . ." he droned.

Heaving an internal sigh, I began, going with my first gut impulse, first reaction to each question. I only got stuck on a couple, which I flubbed my way through on the second go-around.

Yay, done!

I looked at the clock. It had been about 5 minutes. Since we were free to go when we were finished with the test, I decided to high-tail it out of there, maybe try to limp back home. Thankfully, the storm had let up. You know how it is in Utah. . I'd heard it a hundred times. "If you don't like the weather, wait ten minutes." Yeah!

I made it back to the car without too much trouble, but noticed, to my momentary alarm, that someone had been in it! There was a red and yellow box sitting on the passenger seat that had not been there before. I hesitated, took stock of the situation, and realized that it was okay. The car was locked, no one in the back seat. . . It was still light outside. . . Once I saw the Almond Joy on the dash, I knew I'd been been saved. Charlie had left a note, with my favorite candy bar, and had changed the wiper blade while I was in class. : ) Wow.

I always knew I had a guardian angel, and now I know why my Daddy let me go ahead and marry this guy, even when we were so young and goofy. Sigh. Because of little things like this. : ) Which add up to life.

Charlie's a good man.