WOW

Today has been a weird day for me. It has not been terrible. This morning I made a good choice to not yell and holler when three out of the four girls were not getting ready, but rather they were moved the mattress off of the bed and were using it as a slide and trampoline. I chose to not yell when they had just a few minutes to get ready and were standing there in their pajamas and/or undergarments. Nope. I chose instead to walk by calmly, smile, and say, "hmmm...I hope your friends like your underwear, cause we are about to leave, no matter what you have on." I was proud of myself for not yelling, but the day just started off weird like that...I mean really...they girls might be crazy, but using the mattress as a slide? Come on. So that is how the day started, and it was just kind of weird and kind of blah all day. I was productive at the office, but I just didn't feel the greatest. I didn't feel sick. I didn't feel mad. I felt like withdrawing away from everyone (which is not like my normal self). I felt like being by myself, but then I felt sorry for myself for being by myself...make sense? Nope, not to me either...I'm telling you, that is how my day has been. I did make a good choice, though, to instead of going into a total pity party, to pull out my handy dandy Word of God and spend some extra time in it. That was good. I painted some signs for VBS. That was good. I like to paint signs. Can you see how this day was? Not bad, not great, kind of blah, pretty productive, not exciting necessarily. I even had a sweet lady ask if I was feeling okay because I looked like I may not be feeling my best. Hmmmm....I guess it was noticeable! Our secretary had some unexpected errands come up that she had to run, so I was in the office by myself. I liked the quiet and longed for noise at the same time...very strange I know! Well, that is when the Lord spoke to me. He spoke in a great way to me, and he used a sweet man to do so. A man that has been doing some renovation work in our church came by to get his check. Seeing that getting checks signed was one of the errands our secretary had to do, we had to wait on her to return. Yes, I said HAD. I wasn't upset about waiting with this man, but I wasn't thrilled either. I smiled a cordial smile at him, and he so politely started asking about me and who I was and my life. That is when the Lord spoke to me....he said...LISTEN. So I made another choice...I chose to listen. And here this sweet man sat, telling me about his family...and I listened. He was so very proud of his children and the choices they have made. He asked if I had children and I gave his the nutshell version of our story...and he started telling me about a child that he got to informally foster. He lived in Dallas, and a kid in the neighborhood broke a window. I think he told me how that happened, but I think that is when I was fighting with the Lord about listening, so I missed it. Anyway, I started to clue in, and he told me how the kid was mean and didn't like him. The man decided that he wouldn't get mad at this kid for breaking the window, but he would have him work it off...and he gave this kid jobs to do. The kid was not happy about having to work off the broken window, but did it to pay his debt. Little by little, this kid found out he kind of enjoyed that man who made him work! He started spending a lot of time with the family and working with the man consistently. The man paid the kid, and they bought him clothes and food. The man and his family moved away from Dallas and back to our little town. By this time in the story...I was glued, and forgot all about my blah day. I really thought he was going to tell me that he never heard from the kid again. Nope. He told me the kid, who is now married and has 2 children, still calls them and comes to visit once a year. He went to college and became successful in business. WOW!!! This man looked at me and said....he just needed a chance! He just needed to know someone thought he could do it! WOW!!! How many people just need a chance and just need to know that someone thinks they can do it? How many times do I take the opportunities laid before me? How many times do I get wrapped up in myself that I miss what is happening right in front of me? WOW!!! Thank you thank you thank you LORD that I got to visit with this man today. Thank you for your unending love for us...thank you for giving US chances. Thank you thank you! So this odd little day came with a great lesson and a blessing! And would you like to know what else it came with? Oh yeah...a great funny conversation. As I was talking to the man, Autumn and the girls came in to the church, then I had to take Autumn to the high school because she tutors a kid there. So I said goodbye to my new friend, loaded up the two little girls, and took Autumn...took us all of about 4 minutes. As we were pulling up at the church again, this was the conversation: S: Wait!!! Where is Autumn? A: Oh yeah!!! Where is she? (now remember that they were there when we took her and said goodbye as she got out of the car) A: Oh yeah....now I know...she is at the school, right? Me: right S: For tutoring, right? Me: right A: Well, which is she doing? Me: What? A: Which is she doing? Me: I don't know what you are talking about...she is tutoring a kid, like she does every week. A: But WHICH is she doing? Is she doing a TOOT, or a RING??? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!! I needed that good laugh today!!!!