I bought my friend MARK an Ice Pop Maker for his Birthday.
The Perfect Gift! He Loves Ice Pops!
I headed up to Canada to bring it to him.

The night before, as I was packing, I wondered if it would be OK to bring it on the plane.
It was an Ice Cream Maker -type gizmo, which contained some kind of freezing fluid inside (Water? Dry Ice? It didn’t say…)

Questions Swirled around in my head…
“If I check it, that’s $35 extra.”
“If I carry my bag on and they take it at Security, I will have to buy another one later on — plus the additional cost of mailing it.”
“Maybe I can find a Williams Sonoma in Toronto and buy it there; then return this one when I get back.”

I checked in online and had to click a box acknowledging that I was not bringing any hazardous materials in my luggage — Dry Ice was on the List.
I did not know with what liquid this Little Ice-Pop Maker Made in China was filled…

It may seem like a silly little problem, but I did not know how to solve it.
I asked God for Help.
I took a moment, closed my eyes, bowed my head, and prayed,
“Please Show me what to Do!”
I opened my eyes.
No Burning Bush.
Nuthin’!

The next morning, I put it in my suitcase and made a decision to carry it on.
I looked up and said, “You’re gonna’ show me, right?”

I asked at the Counter if West Jet charged to check Luggage.
The Very Polite Gentleman told me, “Yes.”
I took that as a sign to carry it on.

At security, the Screener stared at my bag for a long time;
Then she called over a second person to scrutinize the X-Ray, and then a third.
I was sweating like that Girl on the Airplane in MARIA FULL OF GRACE!
One of the Guards brought me over to an area where he instructed me to stand still and not reach for anything, as he opened my suitcase and removed the wrapped package.
He unwrapped it, being unusually careful, and brought it across to the bomb testing area.
At this moment, a White Haired, Jovial, Heavy Set man with a New York accent walked through from out of nowhere — he was in regular street clothes, not in the Blue Uniform of the TSA Guards.
He glanced over and announced to the Guard a little too loudly and somewhat dismissively, “That’s just an Ice Pop Maker. It’s fine.”
Then he winked at me and said, “It’s fine. It just shows up a little funny on the X-Ray.”
He continued, laughingly walking out of the security area, and disappeared.

God Always Shows Up, Right on Time, they say.
Do Angels occasionally appear in the form of jovial Working Class Men?
I do not know.

But I can tell you that after this man disappeared, the Guards were all very jocund and cheery
After swiping the package for explosives, the Guard handed it back to me.
“You’re Fine,” he smiled. (I’ve not seen those guys smile too often.)
The female Screener bounced up to ask, “Ohhhh, may I rewrap it for you? I Love to Wrap!”
“This isn’t going to show any ripped paper,” she guaranteed, “It will look as Good as New!” and she taped the seam, carefully returning the package to me in Excellent Condition.

MARK making his first Ice Pop! Made it safely to Toronto

Does this Ever Happen to You?
A Small Miracle…
A situation in which you expected a Burning Bush or at least a Flash of Lightning
But you get some other Response…
Does it ever seem to you not a big deal, or just somehow random that a Stranger walks in to reassure you
Or that when you ask for help, it Somehow Comes Through
Or that Answered Prayers are small and sometimes unnoticeable in a way that makes them difficult to discern or easily missed?
Begin to look around…

There are Angels Everywhere
Miracles Abound
And Help is Available

There may be No Burning Bush,
And that may feel somewhat disappointing at first
But if you are like me,
Your Day is filled with Answered Prayers.

MARK enjoying his Birthday Gift

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