12:12 p.m. Today's project was to join Heidi and Pavel at Prospect Park in Redlands for a wedding expo. The Kimberly Crest Estate is the site the couple has chosen for their wedding next year. Tours of the estate and gardens would be offered, plus many vendors would be giving out samples and brochures to brides, grooms and their families in hopes of being selected for the big day.
Just as I was backing out of the driveway, I noticed that I had a voicemail on my cell, so I parked and listened: Heidi wasn't feeling well, so she and Pavel decided not to go today, and just wait for the next one. Plus, today's weather wasn't very amenable for a stroll around the gorgeous gardens. Steve was out walking the dogs, so I decided to go on over to the local supermarket and "pick up a few things." I'd been kind of down because of an untoward couple of text messages from one of the kids, and had been looking forward to the solitary 30 minute drive to pray and process my thoughts. And an afternoon doing "mother of the bride" things would have been sheer heaven! But we have plenty of time, so we'll attend the next wedding event.
I sat in my car for a while in the store's parking lot, sadly answering another dispiriting text, when I got a phone call. "Good, maybe we can talk like civilized people," I thought, but it was an unknown local number. Hmm. I answered, and it was my daughter Heather, who'd locked herself out of her car, with keys and cell locked inside. The number was Kragen Auto Parts down on Jurupa and Magnolia, where she'd gone to buy a headlamp. She requested that I call her husband Nick to go and bring the other key so she could get home. Happy to be of service in a pretty benign emergency, I called and then texted when Nick didn't pick up.
I felt good out of all proportion to the size of the deed I had done, but God was so kind to send me an opportunity for positive interaction with another of my kids at that exact time! I think about Jesus saying in Matthew 6:8, "Your Heavenly Father knows what things you have need of." Our needs are indeed physical, as the text refers to, but God knew my emotional need, and how best to fulfill it. As it says in Romans 8:26, the Holy Spirit prays when we don't know how to pray! God's Word is so true, so real, and so timely! God solved my unspoken need before I had even formulated a prayer. Interesting that Pastor John had made that comment during his sermon this morning!
Nick must have had his phone on silent, because eventually I just took Heather home myself. We had a good chat and enjoyed each other's company for the drive. I followed her into the house, teasing Nick that I wanted to watch to see if he was going to "catch it!" We all laughed. They took off to Kragen's and I returned home to my husband, praising God for our lives and glad that the Lord added a much-needed "sweetener" to my afternoon.
I checked in on my Heidi, dozing under her covers, and placed a Cadbury caramel egg on her nightstand to enjoy when she feels better. Meanwhile, Steve is doing his half of our couples' study homework.
As we are to imitate Christ, to be "as He is in this world, " [I John 4:17] maybe we can add some "sweetener" to our loved ones' day today!
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