"I thought it wasn't supposed to get cold till Thursday!" I exclaimed yesterday as we headed out the door to a grey, bone-chilling dampness that penetrated my coat and sweater. Wednesday had been unseasonably warm and beautiful. We should have gone shopping then. Still, it was fun to get away, despite an unexpected lunch incident.
"I wonder if there is a KFC here," I said, knowing that at home they had a Wednesday lunch special we liked. The GPS showed one a mile or so away, but it turned out to be in a seedy part of town, not the bright, cheerful atmosphere in the upscale shopping area of Stillwater we usually enjoyed. They did not have the special, and as we were placing our order, an overly-friendly disheveled man leaned on Howard's shoulder saying he was hungry.
"Do you know this man?" I heard my husband ask the cashier. She shook her head, and I busied myself getting our drinks while Howard added one more order to ours. Then he was engrossed in conversation with the man, no doubt ministering to him, I knew. Our order came, and the stranger set his down across the room. Suddenly he was at our table with arms outstretched to embrace us. Taken aback, I waved him off, and Howard said he would talk to him after we ate. He had said he was a diabetic and didn't have money for medicine. Although he reeked of stale beer, my better half gave him some money, eliciting a promise that he wouldn't buy more with it.
Things got better as we found gift possibilities in a Christmas-y store, wearing ourselves out with shopping and getting an ice-cream cone for the ride home. Once there, I was inspired to put up my nativity set after retrieving it from storage in the basement. One thing led to another in my decorating, and I found myself exhausted with supper to prepare before getting ready for church.
The warm, comforting meal of mashed potatoes, collard greens, pork chops and hot cornbread, coupled with the cozy house on this cold winter night tempted me to stay home. I couldn't believe it when we walked into the church and saw it alive with kids and activity. I had forgotten it was family night! We could have stayed home! Still, who could resist the animation of the children as they played their games! I even got to assist my little granddaughter with a lesson page at one point, helping her spell out words about God's blessings.
The adults were drafted to play a mad-gab game, deciphering mixed-up letters and words. This was fun! I found myself energized and refreshed, not only from the game, but from the earnest words of the kids' leader as he drove home spiritual truths in a way they could understand. Like the needy man who had tears in his eyes today when Howard told him God loves him and desires to heal him, I found my eyes misting in the knowledge of how God loves the children. I wasn't tired at all when I got home!
No comments:
Post a Comment