Angel or Plank?

From: Ol' Bab (olbab@rochester.rr.com)
Story type: Angel
Location: Henrietta, NY
Source: Form Submission
Date submitted: Sat Oct 18 17:11:53 2008

About 1970, my wife and I were having a pretty extreme argument. She was feeling unloved, unsupported, unnoticed, and with some justification, as I was pretty much a self-contained cold fish, much more into reading or hobbies than getting involved with my family. To get my attention she was starting to burn my collection of Sci-Fi magazines. (An outrageous violation!) We never much got physical in fights -I'm too over-controlled-, but THIS time it was too much! I kicked her in the shin just as hard as I could, intending to do real damage.

I sincerely believe that if I had succeeded, our marriage would have ended right there. Instead my foot hit something very hard and unyielding, causing me quite a pain, and she noticed nothing!

Forty years later, we are comfortable together, often happy, pleased with our growth together, our three children, a good life. Golden wedding coming up. I'm still self-contained but have learned the richness of sharing with her, and have become almost a people-person. All this might well have been lost, were it not for that divine Instant Plank, the hard token of Grace, neatly inserted, instantly withdrawn, never seen.

We are church-goers, both active in the choir, but I'm not really a Christian, even less so as I age. Some One (or ones) watches over us, regardless!