I believe blessings can be very complex things. Taken in its simplest terms, a ‘blessing’ suggests a Heaven-sent benefit is bestowed on an individual. What I wonder is, as often as not, does a blessing touch just that one individual, or are other persons – unbeknownst or anonymous to us – concurrently touched?
Consider the following tale: I want you to imagine the darkest of misting nights. We are on a short bridge made only of trestle; the sides of rusting chain-link; the bridge set on a lonely country road. It spans a hungry, fast-running river.
As our vision comes to focus, we see a young woman seated on the bridge’s railing facing the river. On the pavement beneath her, lies an envelope addressed, “To Whom It May Concern.”
As she makes ready to jump, she freezes. She has heard something, faint but definite.
There it is again! Click… and then click, click, click.
A man in an overcoat approaches her slowly. He glances down at the envelope; then at her. His face is gentle and somewhat sad. Staying back a bit from her, he begins to talk. She is hesitant to answer the stranger, but he seems genuinely sympathetic; concerned. She whispers a stammered answer. He speaks again, softly. A halting conversation ensues. He talks her down from the rail.
We see the couple from behind as they walk across the bridge. He cradles her elbow protectively. They continue to talk. Maybe they’ll just go find a cup of coffee, and chat.
As we watch, the man reaches into his coat pocket and pulls something out. He lets it fall into the torrent below. But just before it fades from view, we see it is…
An envelope; addressed “to Whom It May Concern . . .”
Lucky Garvin