remembering a previous blizzard

I think the last time we had weather similar to this past weekend was New Years' Eve weekend 2001.

The reason I'm remembering it specifically is because, not only was the weather rotten, but it was the weekend the baby of some acquaintances was kidnapped when someone stole their car.

It had been snowing heavily for a long time, and it was bitterly cold just like this past weekend. Nobody was going anywhere. In fact, a friend was staying with me, because she wasn't able to get home after work Friday night.

We got a phone call Saturday morning asking us to pray for this young couple, and their baby, Rachel. The husband ran into a gas station to pick something up and left the baby in the car, with the engine running. (I know ... stupid ... he figured that out quickly). When he came back outside, the car was gone.

It was all over the television and radio -- asking for people to watch for this car. It was missing for several hours.

While it was doubtful the thief knew the baby was in the car when he took it, it was obvious that if he abandoned the car once he discovered her, she couldn't live long, because of the cold.

The same day, some other acquaintances, who had also gotten a phone call to pray about this, were driving into Grand Rapids to work from about 30 miles away. It was terrible weather, and so the drive was nightmarish for them. For some reason they decided to get off the highway half-way to Grand Rapids and take surface streets.

They were talking about the missing baby as they drove and ... they saw the missing car. It was parked in the parking lot of a muffler shop. The hood was still warm, and the baby was inside.

It's one of those small miracles ...

it was snowing hard. Driving took all a person's attention to just keep the car on the road.

In minutes, the stolen car would have been covered with snow and not noticeable.

It was a part of town that no one we knew would have had reason to BE in ... it was a (normally) busy shopping artery out of the way where anyone from our part of town would normally be driving, and all the businesses on it were closed for New Years.

But God brought people who would recognize the car past it, while it was still visible, while it was still warm, and this young couple had their baby home that same day.

I haven't thought about it for years, but this weather makes me remember. It was just amazing.