From an in-taxi camera, the sight of a high speed Ferrari wreck is clearly visible. The tragedy that unfolded on that night still does not make sense. What has stayed with me is not the visuals or memories of the tragedy and lives that were forever changed. I remember the words of the taxi driver to the passenger in the back that were spared because he hesitated in moving forward even though the light turned green. In a Singlish accent,
“Lucky.”
As I look around me I see winners and losers. Life has a way of reminding me that today’s winners may not be winners tomorrow. Life has a way of touching all in the same way without consideration. It can be cruel for some and a blessing for others. In this context, luck has a random ring to it. When the pattern repeats in your life or mine, it is hard to think of that there is random. It seems as though there is a cosmic magician twisting and turning the forces with a diabolical plan.
Gerald May left us with a reminder that he did not know if events in his life were good or bad. He told of the sequence, repeated in multiple layers, of how a good treatment outcome for one disease then led to something worse. As he struggled with the worse, a blessing would arrive. In taking hope from the blessing, he discovered his path was now turning into something more difficult and fatal. After several repeated cycles, he discovered the joy that life is not a series of good and bad, it is a series of experiences and an invitation to engage in the process of living.
I was lucky enough to say thank-you in person to May for his story. I have learned that it is ok to ask for a break. From your lips and mine, “God, give your people a break from this run of bad luck.” (Psalm 25.22) In what follows, you and I have an opportunity to live. Remember, Lady Luck has no friends.
