Stanley's Umbrella Wisdom

Stanley lives across the street from me, he's half of fraternal twins, a robust  man of color in his late sixty's. Stanley's  gate is painfully tentative, he walks as though he was chained at the ankles, the results of a stroke brought on from 3  gun shots to  his chest. He manages conversation with his staccato lisp, when he calls me over,I go armed with patience and attentiveness because he is relentless to share whatever is  on his mind.
 One day not unlike any other, he calls me over because he had something for me. I was working in the garden and needed a couple of minutes to take off my gloves and wash my hands. When I got  to his house, he leaned forward from his steps and handed me an umbrella. Stanley stutters, "take it,you  might  need it one day". I'm thinking, yea right, it's one of those spring like sunny afternoon's easterners dream about during bitter storms. I thank him and reluctantly took the umbrella, It was one of those .99 cent cheapies but still to good to throw into the trash. Besides, Stanley gave it to me in such a protective caring way.(guilt)  I would later throw it in the trunk of my car.
Several months later I was having some sensitivity to the sun, feeling faint from it's radiating hot glare, it felt as if it was pounding me into the asphalt. It was an otherwise lovely outing and I didn't want to be forced to go home. It was then remembered that Stanly's umbrella was in the trunk of my car! Thank you Stanley!
I'm realizing that there is purpose in all things, I may not see it at that moment, but time and time again I realize that there is  an evolved wisdom that sustains me.The trick is to remember this wisdom when shit hits the fan....FAITH!                                            ~Happy New Year!~
Shalom