"Just Keep Looking Forward"

."You'll be fine, just keep looking forward" was a friendly piece of advice I received yesterday, not from my spiritual director or friend from church, but from the compassionate toll taker at the Bay Bridge.

As I have written before, I have a slight problem with heights, one that seems to have increased with my age and waste line. Yesterday was my semi-annual trip over the William Preston Lane, Jr., Memorial Bridge (or Bay Bridge to us native folk), and as per usual, I was not overly excited. I prepared in my usual way, with a few prayers (o.k., a lot of prayers . . .and I may have run out of Saints and made up a few), a scripture verse("For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."), and had an appropriate song picked out for the 4 minute drive.

Luckily, the traffic was light, as usually when it's slow or backed up, so am I (if ya get my meaning).
The toll taker asked "How's yer day", to which I replied
"ask me on the way back"
"long drive? he asked
"No, I just don't like heights"
"You'll be fine, just keep looking forward" he said with a smile.

Again God answered my prayers, because the friendly advice of my brother at the toll booth was just what I needed (Proverbs 12:25). I smiled, said "God bless",and started my drive.

As I am the WW Musical Monk, I will share my crossing song choice with you, although it is not actually available, unless I make you a copy. Long before the amazing band Superchic[k] emerged (women, and friends with daughters, should own all of their CDs!), their leader/writer Max, had another band called Church of Rhythm, and the last known song they made public (through MP3.com, when it was free) was a little techno-pop piece of positiveness called "One Breath".

"We take one breath, Let it out

We take another minute somehow
Everything will work out to be just fine
we take life, five minutes at a time"

Overly deep?, who knows, (I'm from Baltimore, remember), but are they the words we all sometimes need to hear?, I think so.

I am thankful for the angels and saints who prayed for me yesterday, for the above mentioned song and it's writer, for God's instrument the Toll guy, and for my wonderful Lord who rides along with me everywhere I go . . . .and Who also has His loving hand on your shoulder too, as you read this.

Praise His name with one and every Breath!

“Then Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing,
why do you worry about the rest?’”Luke 12:22-26

Just Keep Looking Forward!