Finding God in France

Finding God in France

October 29, 2007

From somewhere in the sky the words came to me.  “Go around the circle and turn left at the third exit.”  It was magical!  So we drove around the circle, turned left at the third exit, checked the map and sure enough, the words from heaven were perfectly accurate and we were headed to our preplanned destination.  From then on, I named our TomTom GPS mapping system “God.”  Somehow, it seemed appropriate.

As we left Charles DeGaulle Airport in Paris, “God” directed us onto a series of small roads that lead through the countryside toward Calais.  We knew that the A-1 freeway leading north of Paris would take us to Calais quickly, but “God” was directing us through small towns on small roads.  We were moving slowly, but the scenery was worth it.  It was then that I realized that my supplications to “God” had included the wish to exclude toll roads.

The girl that checked out our Renault Kangoo had instructed us to make sure that we filled up with diesel as soon as possible because a full tank was not part of the deal for leased vehicles.  She provided a map showing the location of the closest gas station, but “God” figured a route that excluded this station, so on the small French road, we could find no gas station.  Finally, in desperation, I reprogrammed “God” to include the freeway and he quickly found a gas station.

We took the ferry across the English Channel, drove around London and “God” gave us perfect guidance – warning us about upcoming turns in a deep, masculine voice that I could hear clearly.  (Whoever said that God is a she, hasn’t heard my version).

But somewhere near Cardiff, England, “God” died.  Apparently, the 12-volt cigarette lighter connection had come loose and our Lord was no longer being charged – so the battery died.  I reset the plug until it was clear from the green light on “God” that it was being recharged.  We drove for an hour or more, but I could not resurrect “God” from his slumbers.  We drove all the next day, stopping at various shops for an expert who might give us advice, but to no avail.  In the evening at a B&B with WiFi, I went online to the TomTom company and they advised pressing the reset button.  Shazam!  “God” came back to life and has given us expert guidance and direction ever since.

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