It was one of those steamy hot summer days of my childhood, back when TVs were black and white, road trips were high entertainment and station wagons weren’t air-conditioned. We were taking a vacation in and around Boston, and my parents were introducing their children to a little more American history.
My legs were stuck to the blue “pleather” seats of the car as my father pulled into a crowded parking lot near yet another attraction – the Concord Bridge. All I wanted was something cool to drink, but my parents told us we were out of juice and soda in the cooler in the car. So, we climbed out of the station wagon – all except one of my sisters, who had a headache and stayed behind in the car with my mother.
We walked over to see the bridge, which is not the original bridge but a wooden replica. I hadn’t believed we could ever find a hotter place than the inside of our station wagon on this summer day, but here we were – standing in direct sun on a hot summer day, sweating bullets as we learned about “the shot heard ’round the world.”
We posed for a picture and trudged back to the car hotter, sweatier and better educated. And, as we arrived back at the station wagon, we saw our sister, sitting coolly in her seat, drinking the only drink that had apparently been left in the cooler – the last Sprite.
I couldn’t believe it. There had been a drink after all, but only one. And it was gone. Our sister had missed the hottest history lesson of the summer, but she had scored a cool Sprite. As a thirsty 6-year-old, I was struck by the unfairness of it all. I still tell this story now and then, and my parents, siblings and I laugh that I – middle child that I am – still remember decades later what happened and who drank the very last Sprite.
Today, as a parent myself, I know the story makes perfect sense. You can’t easily split one drink among your five children and nephew who’s along for the summer fun. As a parent, you give each child exactly what that child needs in that moment, if you can. The child with the headache needs the drink more than the one whose sweaty legs are stuck to the seats of the car. It’s a situation that’s easy to handle – even if some of the children present might feel cheated.
Sometimes I imagine that God is like my parents on that hot summer road trip. He gives each of us what we need in that moment. It’s impossible for us to understand or appreciate all he knows and understands, and it can feel that we are being overlooked or missing out on some experience or gift that we feel we are ready for – or even deserve. But God looks at his children on Earth and knows precisely what we need. He sees who needs a little more rest, a little extra sunshine or a new opportunity – and he provides.
Our Father in heaven loves us each uniquely, giving us all that we need, knowing that we might have a strength we don’t even recognize in ourselves. He also blesses us with the perspective only God can have – transcending the moment, recognizing our time on Earth is just a piece of the greater journey each of us is on.
“You must believe in truth that whatever God gives or permits is for your salvation,” St. Catherine of Siena said.
The truth for me is that I wouldn’t have enjoyed that Sprite nearly as much as the story about it that makes my nieces laugh every time. God knew that would be one of our summer treats. Whether you’re spending the hottest days of the summer sipping lemonade by a pool or rolling down your car window to catch a warm breeze, may you be open to the gifts God has in store – and recognize the ones he gives us each and every day.
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