By Sandra McGarrity
A prayer in its simplest definition is merely a wish turned Godward.
~Phillips Brooks
"What a perfect couple of days." I stretched out on the bed of the luxurious hotel room for an afternoon nap after another busy morning of sightseeing in New York City.
"Lord, thank you so much for this trip," I prayed. "We've visited so many sites I've always wanted to see. I never imagined we would be staying in such a beautiful suite." A thought niggled at the back of my mind, making me feel ungrateful. "Lord, I wish I could see a Broadway show, but I dare not ask. You have been so generous. Yet I've always dreamed of seeing one. It would be the final touch to a perfect trip -- the caramel on The Big Apple."
I didn't want to ask my husband because tickets are so expensive and Mike probably would have bought them to make me happy. "Surely we'll make another trip up here in our lifetime," I told myself. "I'll get my wish someday."
With that, I fell into a deep sleep and woke a couple of hours later refreshed and ready to go again.
This trip was a shared birthday gift for my son-in-law and me. We drove up from Virginia in a rented van with my husband, two daughters and grandson. As a special treat my sister and her husband joined us from Tennessee.
We covered most of the city in a couple of days, sometimes squeezing into a subway car and sometimes walking. At least some of the group walked. For physical reasons that prevented our walking great distances, my sister and I rode in wheelchairs pushed by our husbands. This was no small feat. We thought super-crowded sidewalks were the greatest challenge until we discovered what wheelchairs do in the subway -- even with the brakes on. Think: roller coaster/bumper cars.
The afternoon of our nap was our last day there. My sister and brother-in-law had already headed back to Tennessee. One daughter, her husband, and son were going to a baseball game in the evening. My husband, other daughter, and I had no particular plans. We would rest, clean up, and go out to dinner.
We headed out to dinner and turned onto a side street to find our intended restaurant. We walked (or rolled) down Broadway looking at all of the theaters, admiring the marquees.
A clean-cut young man approached us. "Excuse me sir, would you like to have free tickets to a Broadway play tonight? They are $100 tickets."
"No, thanks," Mike said as we rolled on by. "I just bet they were free," he mumbled.
"Nobody would honestly give away $100 tickets," my daughter agreed.
"They're probably fake. I'd hate to take them and be turned away at the door," Mike added.
I thought of my prayer. "But what if they are real? What if we just gave up a Broadway show?"
Our daughter stopped walking. "Maybe he is for real."
"Okay." Mike wheeled me around. "Let's go back and talk to him."
We made our way back to the young man. "So, what's the deal with these tickets?" Mike asked.
"There is no deal. They are absolutely free and great seats." He handed three tickets to Mike. "Do you need more?"
"Yes! Thank you!" Mike exclaimed. "Sorry we brushed you off but it's hard to believe someone would just give these away."
"I know," the young man smiled. "We're up here with a group of children who have serious illnesses. The tickets were donated for them but they are absolutely exhausted. They've had a full day and want to go back to their hotel rooms." He shrugged. "I've been trying to give these tickets away for an hour. No one will take them; they all think I'm crazy."
We thanked him profusely and rushed to the restaurant. We had just enough time to eat before the performance of Thoroughly Modern Millie.
I couldn't believe I was sitting in a Broadway play, center section, row ten. It was the experience of a lifetime for me. After the play we walked back to the hotel amid city lights and the excitement of Broadway... amazed that God made the wish that I dared not ask for come true.
A prayer in its simplest definition is merely a wish turned Godward.
~Phillips Brooks
"What a perfect couple of days." I stretched out on the bed of the luxurious hotel room for an afternoon nap after another busy morning of sightseeing in New York City.
"Lord, thank you so much for this trip," I prayed. "We've visited so many sites I've always wanted to see. I never imagined we would be staying in such a beautiful suite." A thought niggled at the back of my mind, making me feel ungrateful. "Lord, I wish I could see a Broadway show, but I dare not ask. You have been so generous. Yet I've always dreamed of seeing one. It would be the final touch to a perfect trip -- the caramel on The Big Apple."
I didn't want to ask my husband because tickets are so expensive and Mike probably would have bought them to make me happy. "Surely we'll make another trip up here in our lifetime," I told myself. "I'll get my wish someday."
With that, I fell into a deep sleep and woke a couple of hours later refreshed and ready to go again.
This trip was a shared birthday gift for my son-in-law and me. We drove up from Virginia in a rented van with my husband, two daughters and grandson. As a special treat my sister and her husband joined us from Tennessee.
We covered most of the city in a couple of days, sometimes squeezing into a subway car and sometimes walking. At least some of the group walked. For physical reasons that prevented our walking great distances, my sister and I rode in wheelchairs pushed by our husbands. This was no small feat. We thought super-crowded sidewalks were the greatest challenge until we discovered what wheelchairs do in the subway -- even with the brakes on. Think: roller coaster/bumper cars.
The afternoon of our nap was our last day there. My sister and brother-in-law had already headed back to Tennessee. One daughter, her husband, and son were going to a baseball game in the evening. My husband, other daughter, and I had no particular plans. We would rest, clean up, and go out to dinner.
We headed out to dinner and turned onto a side street to find our intended restaurant. We walked (or rolled) down Broadway looking at all of the theaters, admiring the marquees.
A clean-cut young man approached us. "Excuse me sir, would you like to have free tickets to a Broadway play tonight? They are $100 tickets."
"No, thanks," Mike said as we rolled on by. "I just bet they were free," he mumbled.
"Nobody would honestly give away $100 tickets," my daughter agreed.
"They're probably fake. I'd hate to take them and be turned away at the door," Mike added.
I thought of my prayer. "But what if they are real? What if we just gave up a Broadway show?"
Our daughter stopped walking. "Maybe he is for real."
"Okay." Mike wheeled me around. "Let's go back and talk to him."
We made our way back to the young man. "So, what's the deal with these tickets?" Mike asked.
"There is no deal. They are absolutely free and great seats." He handed three tickets to Mike. "Do you need more?"
"Yes! Thank you!" Mike exclaimed. "Sorry we brushed you off but it's hard to believe someone would just give these away."
"I know," the young man smiled. "We're up here with a group of children who have serious illnesses. The tickets were donated for them but they are absolutely exhausted. They've had a full day and want to go back to their hotel rooms." He shrugged. "I've been trying to give these tickets away for an hour. No one will take them; they all think I'm crazy."
We thanked him profusely and rushed to the restaurant. We had just enough time to eat before the performance of Thoroughly Modern Millie.
I couldn't believe I was sitting in a Broadway play, center section, row ten. It was the experience of a lifetime for me. After the play we walked back to the hotel amid city lights and the excitement of Broadway... amazed that God made the wish that I dared not ask for come true.
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