THE CABBYS COMPASSION GETS HIM A GODWINK “Tom Chappell is a cab driver. He doesnt get lost very often, but one day, he was a little late picking up his fare, Rita Van Loenen. And, Rita was not happy. In fact, she was downright cranky and didnt give him a tip. So, over the next few months, every time Rita called a cab, who do you think showed up at her house? Tom. You see, Toms the type of guy who wants to learn as much as he can about why a person is the way they are. Why they are unhappy with their lot in life. He took note that he was always taking Rita to the same address—to a medical building with the name ‘Southwest Kidney Dialysis’ written on the door. He figured that whatever was going on behind that door was probably a lot of the reason she was miserable. He became more curious and found out that what she really needed, was a kidney transplant. And, that finding a perfect match is like finding a needle in a haystack. None of her family and friends fit the bill. So, Tom offered to get tested. Rita was so touched by his offer that her stone demeanor cracked. When he actually went through with it, she was blown away. And, when the test results came back, they were both in awe. If the match had been any closer, they would have been siblings. Then, then sad news. Doctors at Mayo Clinic determined that Tom had other medical issues, and despite his best intentions, it was too risky for him to be a donor. The Mayo Clinic spokesperson came out and said, “There is no doubting that Tom Chappells heart was in the right place, its just a matter of his kidneys.” Well, you can imagine, Tom took the news very hard. He felt he was ‘letting Rita down.’ He insisted to the doctors that, ‘God sent me a message. The man upstairs wants me to do this!’ And, he reminded them that he’d even quit smoking in anticipation of being accepted as Van Loenens donor. But, it wasnt to be. What happened to Rita? As of this writing, she’s still on the list for a donor match. But, she hopes that all the publicity that came about when Tom’s and her story got into the local paper and TV, will somehow turn up the right match. Meanwhile, she thinks Tom is taking the news about his not being able to donate his kidney to her, a bit harder than I am. There was one good godwink for Tom though. You see, a daughter that he had not heard from for thirty years, happened to catch TV coverage of the story. She immediately made the connection that they were talking about the father she had lost so long ago when her parents went through a difficult divorce. ‘When I got that phone call,’ says Tom, ‘ … when the voice on the other end said, “This is your daughter,” … I went right to the floor and wept.” His boss arranged for Tom to fly down to Nashville for them to reunite. ‘When I saw her,’ said Tom, ‘We were like two magnets coming together.’ He’s still very sorry that he couldn’t help out Rita, but he sometimes wonders if maybe getting his family back together was what God had in mind all along. ‘If I died this second,’ he says, ‘I could not be happier. I got my daughter and my three beautiful grandchildren.’ Sincerely… Steve Hartman ••• This charming story was printed in Godwink Stories: A Devotional. Wishes and winks SQ
Posted on: Fri, 31 Jan 2014 00:45:00 +0000
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