The Day I Met God

Have you ever wondered what God looks like?

I, personally had really never thought about it, but like most people who have seen any artwork from the early centuries by DaVinci or Rembrandt would say, he’s an old man with white hair and a beard sitting majestically on a throne somewhere in the clouds. I would have never imagined in a million years that I would get to actually meet God and see where he lives.

I’m sure most people would think I lost my marbles if I told them I know what God looks like. The truth of the matter is I really do think it was God that I met that hot summer July day. Perhaps I should start at the beginning and tell you the whole story and you can judge for yourself if you believe me or not.

It was early on a steamy Saturday morning that I woke up in a pool of sweat just as the sun was rising and peaking through my bedroom window. For some reason we did not turn on the air conditioning and our house was swelteringly hot. My wife, Rachelle, had already risen and I could hear her singing along to a Michael Jackson song that was playing on the radio. I could smell the aroma of coffee drifting into the bedroom and slid out of bed and took a quick glance out our window. The sun was already beating down and you could see the dew vaporizing from our newly mown lawn. It was only seven o’clock in the morning and the air felt like a warm blanket that you couldn’t throw off. This was to be the first day of our summer vacation.  I could hear my three children already stirring upstairs in their world starting to pack their clothes and toys in preparation for our annual camping trip to the Pinery Provincial Park located on Lake Huron. To say they were excited was an understatement.

Each year, since my youngest child was still less than a year old we would pack up our camper, strap the bikes on top and make the journey to the park. Summer vacation from school was not complete without our adventure at the Pinery. The kids were given their freedom to roam the park, swim in the lake, canoe in the Ausable River and basically have a blast. Adding to their enjoyment was the fact that their cousins and friends would meet us there every year and a good time was had by all.

This year was no different from the past. I would arise from bed, have a quick shower, a cup of coffee and my bowl of Cheerios and I was ready to begin the packing ordeal. Normally we always tried to pack most of our things the night before but there was always the last minute items that we would remember or the extra bike that I had to strap on top of the camper because one of the kids had invited a friend to come with us . Needless to say it was always hectic and my nerves were always on edge as we began the journey.

Today the heat did not help at all. I was dressed in a pair of gym shorts and tank top and the sweat was dripping down my forehead burning my eyes and just putting me in a foul mood. Of course our sweet little dog Blackie also enjoyed the Pinery. She would sit in the van the entire time I was packing making sure we didn’t leave without her. Even sweet Blackie was getting on my nerves and I couldn’t wait to hit the road and get this vacation started.

After what seemed like hours and a mild temper tantrum by yours truly trying to get everyone into the vehicle we were finally off. I couldn’t wait to get on the road, close the windows and turn on the air conditioning in the car full blast and finally chill out, literally. Well, we closed the windows and I flicked the fan to high. The air that came out of the vent was putridly hot but I assumed that in just a minute or two it would turn to a beautiful cool breeze and life would be good again. Surprise, one minute went by and no cool air, two minutes went by and still no cool air, three minutes and I couldn’t take it anymore. I now know what Hell must surely feel like and I screamed at everyone to crank open their windows. The gust of hot, humid air actually felt soothing for thirty seconds and then the reality set in. Our car air conditioning was broken and we would have to drive the next three hours with our windows open and the hot air blowing in.

I think I told the children to cover their ears for a few minutes while their father regained his composure. In just a few minutes I had accepted our dilemma and decided to let it go and let’s just enjoy our special time. That probably lasted about ten minutes before I was yelling at my dear children to stop their fighting and sit quietly. After I was asked “Are we there yet?" and Ì have to go to the bathroom" a few times, I decided we should stop at the Fairfield Museum just past Thamesville for a quick bathroom break and a cooling off period.

Twenty minutes later we were back on the road. The temperature with the humidex had to be over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and we were all beginning to slowly melt. We were finally less than an hour away from our destination cruising down the highway at 90 kph when the unthinkable happened. We all heard a loud boom and the camper trailer started to swerve back and forth uncontrollably. I fought to maintain control of our van and slowly made our way on to the gravel side of the road. The side of the road was at a fairly steep pitch so I could just barely pull the vehicle and trailer safely off the road. I stopped the van and quickly opened my door to examine what was going on. The driver’s side tire on the camper was blown. There wasn’t much left to it. Now this was the first time I had ever had a flat tire on my camper. I really wasn’t prepared to change the tire. I knew how to do it but had never had to actually change one before. This was going to be a challenge.

By now the kids were all excited and wanted to get out of the vehicle to see what was going on. Just then a big semi truck went flying by us doing over 100kph and scared the living daylight out of me. He only missed us by a couple of feet. We were only off the road by a foot and the gust of air that hit us as he flew by almost knocked us over. I told the kids to get out of the van on the passenger side and to go for a walk with the dog. Luckily for us on we had stopped in front of an old abandoned red farmhouse and there was a big front yard and trees for the kids to play and sit in the shade.

Our next problem was getting the spare tire off the back of the trailer. The fact that I had never tried to remove the tire in over 7 years made it a little more difficult. The bolts holding it on were all rusted and after several attempts to loosen the nuts it finally gave way and we were able to get the tire off. Little did I know that you should check your spare tire from time to time to make sure there is sufficient air pressure. I hate learning new lessons especially in 100 degree heat.

Luckily for us I had brought an air pump for the bicycles. So it then became the job of my lovely wife Rachelle, to pump the tire up manually. If you’ve ever tried to fill a car tire with a bicycle pump you know it isn’t the easiest thing to do, but Rachelle was a real trooper and started to pump.

Meanwhile I now had to figure out how to jack the trailer up to change the tire. I did not have a proper jack and decided to try to use the built in stabilizer jack on the trailer to lift it up. As I was attempting to do this feat I noticed a little label placed over the stabilizer stating that you should not attempt to change your tires using this jack as it cannot support the weight. Now what was I going to do? The jack for the van was buried under a pile of camping gear and suitcases and I wasn’t sure if it would work on the trailer . Add to all that was every time I tried to loosen the bolts from the flat tire a big truck would come barrelling along and I would have to dive out of the way or get run over. This was not going to be fun.

On the other side of the road was a cornfield probably standing over six feet high and the wind from the trucks would make all the tassels on each stalk of corn bend back and forth each time they passed. I was at my wit’s end. I did not know how I was ever going to be able to change that tire. Can you imagine my surprise when I heard a voice come from the cornfield? “Do you need a jack” the voice said. I thought I was hearing things. I slowly turned to face the corn field and there he was. A skinny old man wearing an old pair of beat up coveralls with no sleeves, just a couple of straps to hold them up. He wasn’t wearing a shirt and his two long straggly arms protruded from his sides hanging down almost to his knees. He certainly hadn’t shaved for a couple of days and I couldn’t help but notice a long piece of straw dangling from the corner of his mouth. The pair of rubber boots on his feet almost looked like clown shoes and topping it all off was an old straw hat on his bald head that looked like something you’d see on an old nag of a horse.

Needless to say I was in a bit of shock. Where in the world did this old codger come from? How did he know I was in trouble? How did he know I needed a jack for the camper? I looked at him from across the road and told him,” Yes, thank you I do need a jack”. He said I’ll be right back and turned and disappeared into the cornfield. I said to Rachelle “Where the heck is he going?’” I looked down the highway and a little further down was an old farmhouse that looked little in disrepair. The roof was missing a few shingles and the paint was peeling on the sides of the house. I could see chickens running around the front yard near the road and the cupola that probably sat proudly on top of the roof at one time was now leaning towards the rear. I told Rachelle, “That must be his house, there’s nothing else even close. Do you think he’s coming back? Am I dreaming or was there really an old man that just appeared out of that cornfield?”

Well it wasn’t long before this I got the answer to my questions. The old guy came trudging back out of the cornfield carrying a huge industrial jack that had to weigh over a hundred pounds on his shoulder like it was a feather. He climbed up onto the highway and plopped the jack down on the highway with a loud thud. He then proceeded to slide the jack underneath my camper and before I could react he had the camper jacked up and told me to loosen the bolts and pull the tire off. I did exactly as he suggested and by this time poor Rachelle looking exhausted had blown up the spare tire to proper pressure. The old guy winked at me and we both slid the spare tire into place on the trailer. We slipped on the nuts and he lowered the jack and helped me tighten them. In all this time he did not say another word. He quickly picked up his jack and flung it back over his shoulder with ease. It was then I noticed the muscle tone of this tough old goat. He must have spent years working his fields tending to his crops and his animals. His skin was like tanned leather from labouring in the sun and weather and I wondered about the life experiences that this man must have had.

He slowly turned as if to leave and I asked him to please stop. In all the excitement I never got a chance to thank him. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a twenty dollar bill. I extended my hand with the money and he sternly told me “No, I cannot accept your money.” I responded that he had just saved our butts and “How can I thank you?” He looked at me as if he was waiting for me to ask that very question. A smile came to his lips and his eyes met mine. His gaze was almost transforming. I never noticed before how blue and warm his eyes were. It was almost like I’ve seen those eyes before. I was just about to ask if we had met before. That’s when he said these words that I have not forgotten to this day. “Promise me this” he said, the next time you see someone that needs help or assistance in any way, you stop and help them.” With that said, he turned his back with the jack on his shoulder, and slowly sauntered across the highway and disappeared back into the cornfield.

Rachelle and I quickly rounded up the children and sweet little Blackie and got everyone back buckled into their seats. After making sure that everything was still secure I started the van and signalled to return back on the highway and complete our journey. I slowed down as I passed the farmhouse that we assumed was the old man’s but could not see any life at the house except for the chickens still running around the front yard. I yelled “thank you again” hoping the old man would hear and continued down the road.

After driving for a few minutes, I noted to my wife “Did you notice that the trucks stopped flying by the whole time the old man was helping us?” She said , “Did you see how freakishly strong he was carrying that heavy jack like it was a pillow over his shoulder?” Where the heck did he really come from and how did he know we needed help?” I asked.

More and more questions were rolling around in my brain. This whole episode seemed like the plot from television show. Nothing about the old man seemed to make sense and what was with his last words to me. Now I have to help somebody else? WHO WAS THIS GUY? In my mind there was only one possible solution to my question. It must have been GOD himself that came to help us. Nothing else made any sense to me. I had met God and he lives in an old farmhouse just north of the little village of Cairo on Highway 79. He could use a change of clothes and probably a bath and a shave, but that doesn’t matter. All I know is that I needed some help that hot summer day and there was definitely some divine intervention that took place. It had to be God himself that came to our rescue.

Perhaps you have seen him before too and didn’t know it was him. I think I may have met him again on numerous occasions but just when I realize it might be him, he’s gone just like the old man in the cornfield. So, that’s my story about how I met God. Now you know what he looks like and where he lives. It’s entirely up to you if you believe it or not.

All the events that I have written are all based on fact. Of course after several years from this actual event, some parts have probably been embellished to make the story flow a little better but this really did happen all those years ago.