Right Place, Right Time

As we headed out for Coober Pedy, which was one of Amy and Tyler’s dreams due to their love of opals, we had a long drive ahead of us. But today’s road was easy to remember: the Stuart Highway. Now, Australians really know how to make you feel welcome, but even I have to admit they went a little over the top on that one, but I can live with it. Anyway, we ended up at a campground run by some Greek immigrants. In addition to the campground, this family also has an onsite pizza café. Choosing between peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Hawaiian pizza has never been so easy. We got our pizza around 10 p.m., and as we were eating, Susan suggested that we offer to help the owners with some of their work, for she said that the husband, who was in his early 60s, had mentioned that their kids were out of town on holiday (that’s what they call "vacation" over here), so he was tired. So when the owner’s wife came outside where we were eating, Susan struck up a conversation with her. Susan then asked if her children were on holiday. "That’s a tough question to answer," she replied, before pausing, "for my son is, but my daughter died almost two years ago in a car accident. It will be the anniversary of her death on the 16th." With that, the woman began to silently weep and tell us all about that fatal day. I asked her a few probing questions in hopes of allowing her the opportunity to "get it out." She promptly began telling us all about what happened to her daughter and about how it had impacted her life. We offered to pray for her, but she stated that she had lost faith as a result of the accident. "How could a loving God take my daughter away," she sobbed. She wasn’t irreverent in any respect, rather, she just had a deep feeling of hopelessness. We silently prayed for her and consoled her. Our trip will take us back her way again, so we intend to bring her flowers. Not surprisingly, we will be back on the very night of the anniversary of her daughter’s death.