3.17-Lost in Birmingham

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3.17-


Lost Downtown Birmingham.
Have you ever been lost in a city unfamiliar to you?

I guess I should admit the build up to the situation in Birmingham Alabama.  I helped my daughter and grandson to buy a good used car they needed, but the issue was the car was in Denver and they live in Atlanta.  To pay for transport on a truck would be completely prohibitive.  I had been wanting a trip to visit with my friends in Denver for some time.

So I could fly up and drive it back to Fort Worth, but Sheila and the kids don’t want me driving twelve hours back to Fort Worth alone.  My son volunteered to fly up and drive all the way back the same day.  This got the car with Jeff’s help (22 hours total flying and driving in one day) to Fort Worth, but now the trip to Atlanta.  

We had planned a spring trip to visit the grandsons while Amy took a cruise so we can just cancel the flying out part and drive.  We did but we got lost in Birmingham.

There is construction on I20 in downtown and I got off track on the detour.  I was on 22 Ave. turned right on 6th avenue.  Stopped to pull my mind together and use my google maps and stretch.  Almost got run over when I got out.  I was tired, frustrated confused and my google map on my phone was not working.  I also desperately needed a restroom break. 

I went further on 6th.  Turned right on 16th and there were tour buses and people taking pictures of a building.  This must be the historic 16th Street Baptist church.  Wow!  Here four young people had been killed by dynamite due to the deep lostness of racial hate.
Then I went North ran into a very bad section of town that included and adult bookstore and warehouses and construction blind alleys.  I went in circles for a while seeing boarded up, run down apartment buildings.  

After doing a dead end into Norwood Elementary School and back South on 31st street I saw a Texaco station.  I filled up and went inside to see a man behind the plexiglass.  I told him I was lost trying to get to Atlanta on I 20.  He told me to go a couple of miles on this street and I would see a blue sign pointing me to Atlanta on I 20. I used the facilities and headed out.  He was right and I was no longer lost.

As we moved out of Birmingham I was blessed again.  We stopped at a McDonald’s/Loves. I asked for tea and asked how much and the answer was “free”. 
 
So I got lost in Birmingham.  Got to see a reminder that all of us get deeply lost from time to time as I viewed the 16th Street church.  Got we see expressions of God’s grace from the middle eastern man behind the plexiglass who gave me good direction and the teenager who wanted to give me a free glass of tea.

I am reminded the world is full of amazing things.  There are some very messed up people.  There are some very helpful people.  The next time I am lost I will remember to align myself with the helpers.  That is the way out of being lost in Birmingham or anywhere.

Matthew 5.

7 Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.

Larry Wishard
3.3.19

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