Cont. from Part 1 ~
And now I was face to face with the man who was driving under the influence of alcohol that night that took my brother’s life.
However, I felt no dread.
I felt no anxiety.
Why? Because, I had already forgiven him twenty-five years earlier in a chance meeting that only the LORD could have arranged. My healing from hate had been completely and totally dissolved when I was instructed by the LORD to forgive him.
And with that same amazing grace that I was obedient to follow, I was set free too, along with my new friend Doug Henkle. I really do consider him a sweet friend and brother in Christ. He is no longer that person that he was so long ago.
And thanks be to God, neither am I.
So, here we are, embracing again in a heartfelt hug that friends give each other when a long span of time has passed between meetings.
Doug escorted us into a small sitting room between the very walls of the Capitol. Or so it seemed to me to be between the walls. I felt like I was in some sort of catacombs deep under the Vatican. I never would have found this cozy little area in a thousand years. But Doug knew exactly where to go.
“Doug, what in the world are you doing here?” I smiled as I looked into his gentle face.
“Well, let me tell you…” and he proceeded to describe the series of events in his life that had brought him from our meeting a quarter of a century ago to this very moment in time. God’s time. Doug was now a Guest Chaplain of the Senate!
Bear and I shook our heads in amazement.
We suddenly both knew that we hadn’t arranged anything at all that day.
God had.
It was HIS plan all along. We were being only HIS followers of HIS will.
Doug rose from his chair and stated that it was time to go on up to Senator Larry Alley’s office.
Boy, it was sweet to have a personal escort up into the upper chambers of the Kansas Senate. Everyone we met either gave Doug a quick hug or at least a genuine “hello”. Everyone. No exceptions. Everyone liked him.
However, we felt so out of place!
Like a couple of country mice visiting their city kin. Bear was reminded that when he is actually on the Senate floor receiving his award to make sure he doesn’t have his cowboy hat on his head. Check.
Doug, Bear, and Sen. Larry were standing out in the middle of the floor visiting and admiring the incredibly beautiful architecture inside the Chamber. We were all waiting on the Senate to reconvene after their lunch break. I was sitting the gallery area.
God had one more little surprise in store for us.
One of the other Senators approached me and leaned over the railing to speak to me.
“Say, are you Barry Ward’s wife?”
“Yes, sir. I’m Victoria”
“And did he write a song about being hailed out of his corn crop?”
“Yes, sir. It’s called ‘Not the Man I Used to Be’”.
Now, I am totally wondering where this conversation is going.
“Well, I’ll be darned! Don’t you think I should be getting some sort of royalties off that song? ‘Cause I was the crop adjuster at that time and I was the one who drove him off the farm!” joked Senator John Doll from Garden City, KS.
“Seriously LORD?” I am thinking to myself. How is all of this possible?”
So, I joked back to him.
“Tell you what. Have your people call my people and we can discuss negotiations. But for now, I know Barry would love to visit with you! Go on over and interrupt those guys” I said pointing to the group standing not too far away.
I sat there in total silence.
It was all too much to comprehend in my limited brain.
However, I knew that without a doubt, it was all in God’s Timing. Thank you JESUS.