Like Rain on Parked Cars, Chapter 21 – Columbus
Portrait said to be of Christopher Columbus by Sebastiano del Piombo (1519), Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met Object No. 437645), (PD)
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8: 28).
Aretha fondly calls me “Columbus”, always getting lost but inclined to come across something extraordinary, on the way.
It was at her place in December of 2005 that it happened to me again. I had been greatly discouraged about work, worried that my life might be pointless. Try as I might, I couldn’t seem to find my way.
Aretha and I were comparing notes about our respective childhoods, when I voiced this concern to her. “Wha’ da ya’ mean?” Aretha asked. “You’re exac’ly where you’re supposed ta be! Right here, right now, this minute. This is the place you’re supposed ta be.”
And she was, once again, right. Despite many a detour, I was – by accident or Design – in exactly the place I was supposed to be.
I had started at the legal clinic in the hope of balancing the scales of justice, and bringing Christ to those who did not yet know Him. Instead, I found my efforts the merest drop in the bucket, the problems so much larger than I alone could fix. But saw Him mirrored in every face.
We are all connected. We are all members of a single family. We may look a little different from one another. That’s all.
As Aretha would say, “Don’ matter.”
Copyright © 2010 – Present Anna Waldherr. All rights reserved.
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://avoicereclaimed.com
A Lawyer's Prayers 
Love to see you two supporting each other and encouraging each other. As you have supported and encouraged Aretha, she is also doing the same for you. That’s friendship. What a blessing!💕
So right, Petrina. ❤
Don’ matter. I love this! If you were wondering if your life was pointless, the rest of us should feel much better about our own feelings of inadequacy.
You are way too kind, Ron. 🙂
Vielen Dank für diesen Ausdruck der Gefühle. Du bist ein großartiger Mensch. LG M.
Meine liebe Freundin, du treibst mir Tränen in die Augen. LG, A. ❤
Amen. Aretha’s wisdom makes us love her all the more.I wish I had known that at her age. My daughter is a novelist, not a lawyer with direct impact on the lives of the poor or dispossessed, but she too tries with the talent and opportunities God has given her to show that we are indeed all connected. She is where God has placed her. So is Aretha. So are you. So are all of us in His service. All to His glory. By His grace.
Thank you for that encouraging thought. I’m sure your own daughter is a sweet as you are, Dora. ❤