NOAH...

My wedding was nothing like I had imagined. In hindsight, looking back that was both a good and a bad thing.

Let's cruise down memory lane back to June 22, 2009. My fiancé and I walked out of our hotel in San Juan. We were going to attempt to catch a taxi and try to enjoy some aspect of the island of Puerto Rico. Since we arrived days ago, I was stressed. My wedding was in a few days and everything was heading south. My wedding planner neglected to tell me that my wedding date fell on the same day as the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist. That was a HUGE day for Puerto Ricans. She recommended I move my wedding by one day. The single move required a ton of coordination. We were broke. We didn't have parents paying for our wedding. We paid for hotels and suits and dresses and dinners and breakfasts and flights and excursions and ............we were broke. So broke we went to KFC while in Puerto Rico. Damn shame. Who even eats at KFC when home?!?! Our hotel room was screwed up. We booked a walk-out beachside room with a cabana. We got none of that. Also, my company was in the midst of a divestiture so my three week wedding/vacation couldn't have come at a worst time.

To top it off, we were standing in the taxi shelter and all of a sudden it started pouring rain and thundering. I had it. I burst into tears. I turned into a bridezilla in that moment. All I saw was defeat and stress. My fiancé just took a seat on the side of the curb in the rain.

Suddenly, there appeared this man. He favored St.Nick minus the white beard and mustache. He was a jolly guy with thick rimmed glasses. He made light conversation.

"Why the long face," he asked.

My fiancé said, "We're getting married here in a couple days. Things have been crazy."

"Where you from?" he asked.

"Maryland. What brings you here?"

"Ohhh it's a couple dozen of us here. The entire family. I'm just the old guy that gets to travel along. I'm Noah."

My fiancé introduced each of us.

We proceeded to shake hands and continue to chat. Who knew that in that moment our lives would forever change.

Noah went on to share with us the secrets of staying married. He also shared with us the lost of his wife and the importance of celebrating people while they're here.

Noah was so full of wisdom. He said he was waiting for a taxi. We never saw his taxi arrive, but he said he had to leave. As soon as he left, things cleared up. The rain stopped instantly and we each felt calm.

Each of our recurring run-ins with Noah became more and more eerie.

Although Noah said he was with dozens of family members, we always saw him within the resort walking alone.

The next morning, we were walking down the beach. Enjoying the rising of the sun and free activities...because, you guessed it, we were still broke.

We were heading toward the entrance of our resort and Noah came out of nowhere. He shook my fiancé's hand and slipped a large bill into his hand and walked off. When we got on the other side of the gate, he said, "OMG, baby, Noah just slipped a $100 bill in my hand, but where the hell did it come from. He's in swimming trunks with no pockets. What made him do that?"

I simply said, "Let's thank God for the blessing because I don't think we can eat KFC another night. Hallelujah!"

We laughed, nodded at each other, and thanked Noah.

We ran into Noah again at the resort restaurant we decided to try with our new found wealth. Noah wasn't dining there. We passed him in the hallway and he mentioned a special VIP package the hotel was offering that included free upgrades, free breakfast, and free dinner. He gave a manager's name for us to speak with to upgrade our hotel package. We ate dinner for free and management fixed the room issue. The next morning, we opened our doors, and walked right out onto the beach. Finally, we were feeling peaceful and at ease.

There were a few other run-ins with Noah that left us questioning his presence and the sheer power of energy and the universe. When our family and friends had arrived, we wanted them to meet Noah. He had left such an inspiring impression on us that we wanted to take him to dinner. We were never able to see him for long. The last time we ran into him, I asked him, "Are you an angel?"

He didn't reply. He simply laughed and told me I was far too kind.

I said, "when you arrived, everything was made better and your presence is unlike anything we've ever felt. Where is your family?"

My husband tried to continue the conversation, but he had to go suddenly.

We never saw Noah again.

When I've tried to explain Noah to others, it's a hard reality to put into words. The energy, the experience, the right-on-time nature of it all. I've never felt God's presence more in any other encounter.

I wish I could remember the advice he gave us verbatim. If I did, I'm sure I could've saved myself a lot of heartache.

I was never into supernatural stuff, but there was something divine about Noah. I was so saddened that my grandmother or great-grandmother or aunt or niece or brother or my entire family would not be in Puerto Rico to stand by my side as I said yes to one of the biggest journeys I would take in life. Somehow, some way, Noah was sent as a refuge, resource, and deliverer. When I reflect on his presence, the feeling and emotion is so overwhelming.

Jehovah God,

Thanks for sending me Noah at a time I needed him most. Please send him again. Hindsight is 20|20. I have some questions for him. And man oh man, that $100 was the GOAT! Thank you.

Your child,

S.H.E.R.R.I .E.

.....And the Earth was filled with wickedness, as intense evil led God to decide to send a flood. We learn in Genesis 6-9 that Noah found favor with God, so the Lord instructed him to build an ark for him, his wife, his sons, and his sons’ wives and “two of all living creatures.” 

Noah listened, the flood came and humanity and animals were restored after the waters receded. This is an oversimplified Noah’s ark story summary, as one can learn a great many lessons upon digging deeper into the text. 

NOAH’S ARK STORY TEACHES US THAT GOD SPEAKS TO HUMAN BEINGS. WE CAN NEVER GO WRONG WHEN WE LISTEN TO GOD. And GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES.

I'm thankful for the story of Noah.