“Courage can’t see around corners, but goes around them anyway.”
-Mignon McLaughlin

“Mom, where did October go?” smiled Brooke, as we were riding down the road one day.

“I don’t know,” I smiled back.

“Well, that’s sad. I didn’t even get to spend time with it,” she said.

“Oh, Brooke, you crack me up,” I laughed. “But, boy, you sure are right!”

October definitely took on a life of itself. Yes, I turned 53 on the 11th, bringing my “52 Weeks, 52 Changes,” to an abrupt end. You’ve heard the saying, “Too much month left at the end of my money?” Well, I have “too many changes left at the end of my 52 weeks.” So, I’m not quitting…the exercise in change was so challenging and freeing that I just can’t bear to stop. This week’s challenge to change is two-fold simple: Shop in my own closet and wear what is already there AND as I am dressing daily, remember the most important “clothing” I put on in my life is not material, but spiritual.

What “spiritual clothing” are you “putting on” every day? Oh, it is such an important question to ponder. As much as I love style (if you know me, you know its true), I want to be “noticed” for my spiritual clothing or “style” even more!

The latter part of Proverbs 31:25 really gets to me! The Proverbial Virtuous Woman, set to be an example for all Christian women to come, could “laugh without fear of the future.”

Boy, I really need to hear this today. If anyone could have told me two months ago that my mother would be diagnosed with a benign meningioma in her motor cortex (causing diminished use of her left leg/foot initially) and have to undergo brain surgery, I would possibly have laughed. But the actual diagnosis was no laughing matter. Just when I thought my drive through life was slowing down a bit, I ran head on into a fierce blind corner. Suddenly, life changed. That’s what blind corners do. They force a change. I’ve been reading a bit about these contenders and here’s what I’ve learned:

*(Just jump to “Take Home” if you are short on time!)

1. There are lots of different situations that could happen on the road and a good percentage of them are related to how roads were created. There are intersections, freeways, side-streets, uphill and downhill roads, winding roads, zigzags, and of course the dreaded blind corner. *Take home: God creates the roads we are on.
2. Blind corners are those corners where you can not see incoming traffic until you are at the corner itself or after you have turned your car and about to pull away from the corner. I’m glad though that most of the time I encounter blind corners, lots of drivers take extra care on the approach. There are still a few that I saw who relentlessly approached the blind corner without slowing down. *Take home: A blind corner makes me slow down and involves taking “extra” care.
3. There are lots of situations that could happen at a blind corner. Since you cannot see the approaching car, you won’t know if you are safe since an approaching car may mindlessly overtake another car or there may be people or animals crossing the street at the blind spot of that corner. There may be some kind of an obstruction that you cannot see or if you mistakenly decide to overtake at a blind corner, you may hit an approaching car that you didn’t see until you hit it. Take home: When I can’t “see” what’s coming, safety involves trust + faith in God. As I proceed through with extra care/caution, HE leads me to safety.
4. As you can see, blind corners are one of the most accident-prone areas. As a responsible driver, approach the blind corner slowly and cautiously. If it is a blind 90-degree corner (where you won’t be able to totally see the car until it’s at the corner), it won’t hurt to stop. Slowly enter the corner and turn carefully. Blow your horn if necessary. Anything that could help avert any accident will definitely work great. Take home: When facing a blind corner, “it won’t hurt to stop.” Stop, assess, move slowly, proceed with caution.
5. And for crying out loud, do not overtake and force to cut in before the blind corner. Most of the accidents that occur in blind corners are due to drivers who made a bad decision to overtake. Oh and this also applies if you’re going to cross that blind corner instead of turning into it. Again, approach slowly and blow your horn. At night or in dark places, always turn on your headlights. This will prompt incoming vehicles that you are there and vice versa. Take home: Don’t “force to cut in”, i.e., don’t force something to happen. This “bad decision” could end in an accident. AND, I love this…”turn on your headlights.” Boy, I believe “turning to the LIGHT” (i.e., Jesus and HIS WORD) is the best advice when faced with a blind corner.
6. So always drive defensively so that you’ll have a much safer drive and you and your passengers will be comfortable. This safety precaution can also be used on other types of corners. Just don’t assume that there’s no car on the approach from that blind spot. Take care and drive safely (See BLIND CORNERS). Take home: Drive through life “defensively,” meaning stay focused, alert, and watch out for the other guy(s) on the road.

My blind corner involved my mother’s diagnosis. Her journey became my journey, as well. That’s how life works. We walk through and around the blind corners of life in relationship…in community…together…usually. I had my very own PLAN for October-November, but God had other plans for my time. Plans to grow my selflessness and patience….to deepen my ability to love…..to slow me down, yet again, and redirect my sphere(s) of influence…to introduce me to new relationships/people that HE wanted me to meet….to reacquaint me with distant relatives that are now not-s0-distant…to foster an even keener sense of intimacy with Him…and so much more (of which I will write about in Part II).

Have you had to navigate around a blind corner in your life? Would you please share your lesson(s) with us, so we can all walk in even greater LIGHT!

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