Have you got a minute?

My morning started with a call just as I was leaving the house. Damn, who would call me at home before 8 am? I don't generally take calls at home early in the morning. If you call me, it had better be an emergency.

I check caller id, thinking if this is my early rising boss I'm gonna be pissed. I told him I'd call him as soon as I got into the office. It's a woman from church. I can chat with this woman and I have been to her house on 2 occassions but I wouldn't stretch it and say we're friends.

I answer the phone with a pissed off "hello". She begins to babble about could she just talk to me for a little while. She tells me she really needs someone to talk to right now and she has called everyone on the church directory until I answered (she made it to the S's). I hesitantly tell her I have a few minutes.

I've got about 10 minutes and then I'm going to be late. Being late isn't a big deal at my office but I know I have to call my boss first thing this morning. So I listen, she cries and tries to tell me what's got her in a tizzy. It's an awful thing and as I told Big Princess this afternoon, "Don't ask me, we'll both just cry."

The woman asks me how can God allow things like this to happen? Thank goodness she didn't really expect me to answer. I try to offer words of comfort and absolve her of her guilt but she continues to wail and rant at God. I realize I'm gonna be late for work as its now 8:05 am. I make a decision that could ulitimately go badly.

I can't hear or see someone cry without joining them even if I don't know the reason for the tears. I sniffle as I ask her if I can come over. She seems startled, "what?"

"Can I come over?"

I'm not trained by anymeans to deal with other people's issues. Heck, I'm not qualified to deal with my own issues. I couldn't give her an answer to why God lets bad things happen to good people. How am I gonna help?

I call my boss and my office, explained I have a personal emergency. (Gotta love my job, they said "well, let us know if we can help and we'll see you when you get here.") I jumped in my car and started chain smoking, wondering if this was a good decision to run to an emotionally fragile stranger and offer (no) help. My mind raced as I tried to think of someone better equipped to deal with this... Paster-on vacation, Elder-already at work, Deacon-no idea how to reach, Sister-in-Christ who has experience with this-already at work, my mother-long distance and really no help.

I arrived and she had pulled herself together. We sat and chatted about everthing, from silly things to the issue that was crushing her soul. After four hours I asked her if she was gonna be alright and she said she thought so. She thanked me and hugged me. I gave her my cell number and told her she could call me anytime to talk.

I hope I helped her.