One year after the tragic events of September 11, 2001, a short note appeared in a U.S. newspaper. It was simple. Quiet. Powerful.
Read it carefully. And if you’re someone who often gets frustrated by the little things in life maybe read it twice.
“You may have heard about the CEO of a major company who survived the attacks simply because it was his turn to take his child to preschool.
Another man lived because it was his day to bring donuts.
One woman was late because her alarm clock didn’t go off.
Someone got stuck in traffic on the New Jersey Turnpike.
Another missed the bus.
One spilled coffee on her blouse and had to change.
One person’s car wouldn’t start.
Someone returned to answer a phone call.
Another’s child took too long getting ready.
One simply couldn’t catch a cab.
But what struck me most — was a man who survived because that morning, he wore new shoes.
They gave him a blister, so he stopped at a pharmacy to buy a bandage.
That’s why he lived.”
And now, when I find myself stuck in traffic, missing an elevator, going back home for keys, or answering a phone call at the last second…
I pause and think:
Maybe I’m exactly where I’m meant to be. Maybe this delay is protection I’ll never understand.
So next time your morning doesn’t go as planned —
The kids are slow to get ready.
You can’t find your keys.
You hit every red light…
Don’t get angry. Don’t panic.
God might be at work. Protecting you in ways you’ll never see.
