Providence

Today was our "send-off ride." One last easy ride before Tahoe next week.  44 miles in Napa with a potluck meeting afterwards, during which we'd receive our preliminary ride packets.  

Although I missed another day at church, for some reason I knew I had to be at this ride and not just because important information was going to be distributed.  I thought it was about supporting the TEAM and the honorees who would be there, but it ended up being so much more.  It was divine providence really ...

See the lady in the picture with me?  No, she's not on the team, but she did come ride along side us briefly towards the end of our route.  In fact, she called out my name!  And I was all, "Do I know you?"  She said, "You don't recognize me?  Sandy.  Sandy from your accident."

I let out a loud, "OH MY GOODNESS! SANDY!? The Sandy that helped save my life?!"  And it was, indeed, her.  I told her I needed to hug her and take a picture with her, so we pulled into the driveway of a nearby school.  

We hugged, we shed a few (happy) tears, and shared a few memories from that fateful day.  You see, Sandy and her friend were riding up the hill that I had just descended and crashed on. Sandy held my head steady until the fire department came.  I also learned Sandy's friend went to one of the nearby homes to call the fire department as soon as they realized the friend I was riding with was unable to get a cell phone signal to contact anyone.

AMAZING.  I was quite dumbfounded.  I had exchanged a couple emails with her after the accident, but I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd ever get to meet her or thank her in person. What are the chances of that?!?  

Apparently, she's friends with someone on the team, but in a different ride group than mine. She ran into him during our ride, and knowing I was on the team, she asked him to say HI to me. Well, there's about 50 people on our team, so he didn't know who I was.  Someone else in his ride group said, "Oh, Tessa?! Her group came by here just 5 minutes ago."  So she caught up to us, and the rest I already told you about.

Just before we parted, I told Sandy that I'd forever remember her and that she'd always have a special place in my heart.  What a precious moment, what a wonderful gift.

See ... I knew I had to be at this ride!