Any time, all the time, just in case

Before leaving the house the other morning, I was wrestling with all my belongings — holding my laptop, lunch bag, cell phone and briefcase — while trying to jam some tissues into my purse with my free hand. This was when my husband walked into the room.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Oh, I’m just taking some extra Kleenex with me, just in case."

His left eyebrow went up. That is a facial expression of his that I know very well. He was trying to figure out what I meant.

So I continued. "You know, I might need them, in case something spills in the car, or someone asks me for one, or, I have a sneezing fit. You never know. But I want to be prepared …"

"Just in case," he finished.

"Exactly!"

I was very happy that he got it. And that he understood what I meant.

It was a small thing, but it made me feel better, knowing that I was prepared for some eventuality that I couldn't even identify yet.

Later that day on the way home I was in the grocery store. The vegetable stand has a rack of bags for us to put our produce in and I helped myself to a few extra bags. The produce manager happened to be passing by and saw what I was doing. With his usual friendly smile, he asked: "Gina, what's up? Are you buying in large quantities today?"

"No, Barry," I replied, "I’m just taking a few extra bags, you know, just in case."

He nodded understandingly. No doubt, I was not the only one who did that in the store.

On my way to the checkout counter, I saw (and heard) a two-year-old having a carriage-confined meltdown in the line as I passed by. Her mother calmly opened her large oversized bag, revealing a well-loved doll that she gave to the little one. Instantly, the doll worked magic for the child. I smiled as I walked by, and she gave me a knowing look. "Just in case," she said, smiling back at me.

I went ahead and finished my shopping, and waited in the checkout line. When the cashier told me the total, I opened my purse to get my money. While I was groping for my wallet, I felt the rosary beads that I always carry with me. They had come out of the plastic envelope case made for them, and they were wrapped around my wallet. I looked at them for a moment, remembering when my friend had brought them back from Medjugorje for me. "I’ll always carry them with me," I had told her, and she nodded, answering: "Just in case."

What a comfort to know that our Blessed Mother and her beloved son Jesus are always there for us, no matter what life may bring our way. They are there, hearing our prayers, ready to uphold us and to comfort us any time we need it. And what a blessing for those other, harder times, too, that they are always there for us, and with us … just in case.~

This is part of the series called "The Human Being Fully Alive" found here.