A Tale of Two Mailpersons

8:37 p.m. Today's project was to update some financial items while my son-in-law Nick and his dad painted the "kids' room" upstairs. Running errands made a good secondary reason to be out of the house, because I can't abide the smell of paint--it gives me a headache. I also planned to pick up packages of contact lenses and stop in to Starbucks to enjoy a nice frappucino treat and make booking phone calls for my buisness.

I've been up since 5 a.m., because I didn't want to miss the first conference call of Mary Kay's "Director Now!" training being offered by six national directors. The call wasn't until 7:00, but I wanted to complete my full devotional time, then put Jada out, feed her, and be able to fully concentrate on typing the most striking ideas on my Windows Notepad program. [I was thrilled with the coaching, by the way, made a decision, and plan to step forward to the next level of my business].But all details of my day's happenings were purely of God, and in his perfect timing. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says,

He has made everything beautiful in its time; but we are to bring our issues, activities, sins and needs to Him nevertheless.  Psalm 32:6 exhorts,

 ...everyone who is godly shall pray to You in a time when You may be found.

While parked at the local Canyon Crest Towne Centre, I made calls and found that I needed to mail original certified copies of Steve's death certificate to the insurance claims departments. I only received them last Friday, so it was the Lord who told me to call the companies for information. So, thinking to beat the 11:00 mail pickup at the UPS store in the shopping center, I raced home, grabbed three copies, inserted two of them in large white mailing envelopes, and parked at the UPS store. The mail truck was parked right next to me, thank You Lord, but the mailman had already left for other store deliveries. "Fooey!" I thought, upon hearing, "Our next postal pickup is at 4:30, so just put your mail into the collection bin," from the cheery clerk.  I was not about to do any such thing for mail headed back East. I actually, seriously considered walking around the Towne Centre stalking the mailman, but thought the better of it, and just sat in my Jeep right next to his driver side to wait so I could hand the packets to him personally.

Made some booking phone calls, and kept a lookout the mailman. I figured, "he can't leave without his truck, so waiting for him will work." But who should come striding up to the truck but a nice mail lady! We chatted a bit and she took my envelopes. From there, I took the third death certificate to the bank, and had the information documented. Finally, I could head to Starbucks and make calls. I had gotten my frappucino, and was sorting through my customer profile cards and lists, when in comes an old friend from my school board days, wife of an administrator in Riverside Unified! We caught up on news--she'd heard about Steve's death--and she filled out my skincare survey for a future facial booking (despite the fact that she now owns a spa). Talk about timing--the Lord knew when I needed to be at my table with a vanilla spice frappucino!

Back at home, I walked out to my mailbox just in time for our own mailman to pull up. I told him about Steve, and then we talked at length about both of his elderly parents' demise, and the details of their last hours. It had been years, but it seems he remembered everything like it had just happened. I suppose I belong to a strange fraternity now, of those who have been at the bedside of a dying loved one non-stop, and can give excruciating details if one wants to hear them. I find that I do want to listen, because I'm not scared about death any more. Since I know Steve's wishes were honored in the manner of his death, and that he's whole and healthy and living in the presence of the Lord, I have peace.

The Lord wasn't done yet--He had still another excellent timing arranged. As I wrapped up my conversation with the mailman, here came a youngish fellow around the corner walking what appeared to be a Golden Retriever puppy. We said "hi," I commented on his dog (who turned out to be a golden-chow mix) and he continued, "I'm the new neighbor behind you! Been meaning to come over and meet you. " He and I discussed the fence issue, and the $6,000 quote he'd gotten from a contractor. [newbie]! I laughed and told him that my son-in-law Pavel's dad builds cedar fencing, and since we could split the cost of the four mutual sections he needs at $80/section, his cost would only be $160, including cleanup. He was happy to exchange cell numbers, because he was going to install the whole fence and then ask the other neighbors for payments.  Riverside, population 300,000, is such a small world--his son attends the same elementary school where my daughter's mom-in-law teaches.

The point of retelling these incidents is that there are no coincidences with God. To allow enough time for my back-fence neighbor to walk to my house, the empathetic conversation with my mailman had to be lengthy. For me to meet a friend and likely customer at Starbucks, I had to spend a precise amount of time parked next to the mail truck and later seated in the bank.

Blessed as I was today, however, God's perfect timing was far more critical for world history and the salvation of mankind when He sent His Son.  Galatians 4:4-7:

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoptions as sons.

And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

This is my salvation story--is it yours?