Several years ago, when I needed a miracle I knew just where to go. I went to St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal, Canada and prayed.  It was a glorious sunny weekend with flowers in bloom, bilingual bus drivers and a fireworks festival at night.

After praying I took a bus and the driver left me at a subway station which would lead me to my college dorm hotel room. At the subway station sign I became confused which I usually do.  All those colors and lines tend to scare me.  A gentleman approached me as I was having a conversation with the sign and asked me where I was going.  I told him and he gave me the appropriate subway information to get to the hotel.

As we continued to speak we discussed the fireworks and he asked me to accompany him to them.  In five years, I had not accompanied a man anywhere so I decided to say yes as I knew I would never find the fireworks park.  We went to my dorm and he stayed outside while I freshened up and got a jacket.

On the way to the fireworks we stopped at various sites and he explained the areas.  He was a delightful tour guide and we discussed everything from Pierre Trudeau to English as second language.  As the conversation continued I learned he was a Canadian citizen but former Syrian. He relayed many sad tales of loss and my heart cried for his pain.

When we arrived at the fireworks we sat on the grass and the sites were amazing as this was a worldwide competition.  Shapes and squiggles of all kinds appeared in the night sky with noisy alarm.

Post fireworks it was a bit awkward as we knew we would never see each other again. Walking to the subway we saw a couple in a mad embrace kissing and we both laughed.   We found my train and he located his. We departed and I began to walk down the stairs.  Abruptly turning I saw he was still watching me and I ran up the stairs gave him an passionate kiss and then ran down the stairs into the waiting train.

Pray for the people of Syria as I do.  We are all in this world together and there are good people out there.