Empathy

We had to run out to Walmart this morning, and we had three things going against us - summer, Saturday, and 4th of July.  It was packed.  There were already lines at all the registers at 9:15 in the morning.  We got what we needed and got into a line with a cashier that I see on a regular basis.  She was almost done with the customer in front of us when something went wrong with her cash register.  Now she's a veteran so I know she knew what she was doing, but she couldn't get the thing to work.  My first thought was "Uh oh, now we're going to have to start over at the back of another line."  But right on the heels of that was sympathy for the cashier.  She had a look of panic on her face when she said "I can't get this to work and look at my line!".  Just then, one of the managers was walking by so she called her over, and like magic, with the touch of a button the register was all fixed!  She said "How did you do that?"  Jeff said to give the woman a cape and we all laughed.  Crisis averted.  She finished with the customer in front of us, and whisked us right on through.  As much as we're all in a hurry these days, it's so helpful to lighten things up with humor and kind words.  Jeff and I were dreading having to move to another line, but mostly, we tried to ease the cashier's stress.  I can't help but feel that God rewarded our efforts by sending that manager by at just the right time.  Patience with other people and empathy for them is something I strive for but am not always successful at, but today I think we got it right.  It felt really good, and that is where I found God today.

Peanut Butter Frosting

I know I write about food a lot.  I can't help it - I love food!  Today it's peanut butter frosting.  Mmmmm.....  I made chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, and even though the cake is delicious, in this case it's just there to carry the frosting.  I think I could have eaten the whole bowl with a spoon before I ever put it on the cake.  Jeff actually got to lick the bowl and the beaters!  So after dinner when I got my first bite of chocolate cake topped with that smooth, thick, creamy, peanut buttery goodness... oh dear!  I was transported!  Today I found God in that heavenly dessert.

My First Customer

I'm not even a week into my new Avon business so I guess it's not surprising that it didn't feel like a real business to me.  I've been handing out lots of books and contacting people online, but so far I hadn't gotten any feedback in any way.  Then just a little while ago, my sister-in-law, Laura, called to tell me she had placed an online order through my website!  She said she wanted to be my first customer.  I was very happy to finally have an order because it made the whole thing feel legitimate to me.  But more importantly, I was touched by her thoughtfulness.  There's a special feeling that comes from finding out that someone was thinking of you when you've been busy going about your day.  It elevates your whole day out of the ordinary.  It's something I strive to do for the people in my life, and I hope I succeed sometimes at making them feel the way Laur made me feel.  Today I found God in the thoughtfulness of my first customer.

Spanish Moss

I have been trying for months to get a good picture of the spanish moss hanging from the trees I pass every day.  I have lots of pictures of spanish moss from our trip to Savannah, but we obviously don't have nearly as much as they do.  And I wanted a nice picture of our spanish moss.  I must have taken dozens of pictures, but the light was never right.  They all turned out blah. Spanish moss looks romantic, mystical, gothic - definitely not blah.  I wanted a picture to convey that so I kept trying, and today I finally got it!  Or I think I got as close as I'm going to get.  Either way, I was very happy.  I knew as soon as I saw it that the picture was going to come out right.  So I stood there on this beautiful morning and found God as I was snapping pictures of yet another of His wondrous creations.

"Hi!"

I was taking a walk on this gorgeous afternoon - enjoying the cool breeze, lost in my own thoughts - when I heard a small voice call out "Hi!".  I kept walking because I didn't think it was directed at me.  Then I heard again, "Hi!", a little louder this time.  I was just passing the fire department, and when I looked over I saw a small boy sitting on the tailgate of a big truck (I think it was a fire truck but I was so startled I didn't really notice!).  He was waving his arm and yelling out "hi" to me.  So I smiled and waved and said "hi" back to him.  What a friendly child!  And it was such an endearing scene - a little boy in the back of a big truck waving his arm and swinging his feet on a beautiful sunny, breezy day.  It could have been out of a movie.  But it wasn't.  It was real life here on the Outer Banks - my life.  No matter what's weighing me down, God always gives me little reminders of all I have to be thankful for, and I am so thankful for my life here.  God sent my reminder today in the cheerful "Hi!" from that friendly little boy, and that is where I found Him today.

"Old Friend"

I haven't been seeing the sunrise lately because it comes up so early this time of year, and I've really missed it.  I never get tired of watching it, and it always fills me with wonder and peace at the same time.  But fortunately today we were out walking in time to see it, and it was striking.  It was like reuniting with an old friend, and there were even a few clouds hanging around to make things really interesting.  I took the pictures you see below of my beautiful "old friend" in all it's glory, and that is where I found God today.

Stargazer Lily

Marlayna gave me a stargazer lily for Mother's Day last year.  When the flowers died, we decided to plant it to see what would happen.  Now if you're good with plants, you'd probably know what to expect.  But as I've mentioned before, it takes a hardy plant to live under my care.  The plant survived the winter and even got buds on it in the spring.  But I was watching lilies blooming everywhere and mine seemed to be at a standstill.  Guess what?  They bloomed today!!!  Woohoo!!  I had even stopped checking on them, but today as I was walking by the window a flash of color caught my eye.  I can't tell you how happy it made me.  I yelled to Jeff, "The lilies bloomed!", and ran outside to get a picture. God's little wonders have such a big effect on us.  And yes, that is where I found Him today.  (If you look closely, you can see a little damselfly on the lower right petal in the bottom picture.  He's in the top one too but harder to see.)