I was in line at QT and there was a little girl with her dad in line too. She was talking about their dog and as a dog lover I listened in. She was full of enthusiasm and pride as she told him about picking out the collar for their dog. He took time to listen to her, ask questions, and she totally had his undistracted attention. Then she took a few steps back and head butted her dad in the belly. She did a few more times and instead of laughing he saw me and said, "ohh, she's just kooky like that" and told her to stop. I told him "I'm kooky too" and explained the look on my face wasn't because she was doing anything wrong it was because I used to do the exact same thing to my dad as a kid.
Then I paid for my stuff and left thinking that's so weird but thankful for the good memory of my dad. On the way home my air conditioning went out, I told myself that it was no big deal and praised God that I was on the highway and there was breeze blowing through the windows. I praised God when I stopped at O'Reily to buy freon to put in the Sandymobile and for the guy at the shop who explained how to put the freon in. I praised God for the portable air conditioners that keep my house cool as I walked through the door. And, then, I thought of the little girl at QT and burst into tears.
As I cried I told God what a crappy thing to do to me; the car, the a/c in both my car and house, and then little girl and the memory of my dad. I actually said "how cruel do you have to be". That's when I saw the image of the little girl running head first into her dad and it was remarkably clear. Father God was calling for his daughter to run to him and tell him everything.
You see this morning Emily woke up and it was apparent that she had a seizure in her sleep last night. She has been discombobulated today and her mouth is swollen and body is aching. I'm trying to finish up details for the childrens portion of The Single Mom KC event this weekend. I tried to take all three of our dogs for a walk this morning without Emily and Daisy Lou Lab broke from her collar. And, then this afternoon God reminded me of what I had lost here on Earth, my Earthly Dad, who was my confidant, my fixer, and did I mention a mechanic? To top it off my air conditioning in my car stopped running cool. Yeah, it was all crashing in and I heard Father God say "Come on hit me with hit Sherry".
By His grace I live, walk, and talk. By grace gifted that is beyond this world I live, walk, and talk. And, by His grace I usually laugh, praise, and show my spunk but today He knew that I needed His grace to call me home. Home to confide in Him. Home to seek solace. Home to cry away frustrations and hurt. Home to seek Him who gifts me grace....grace that is received and gifted away to others daily. He choose me today to refill, encourage, and call out. I'm thankful this afternoon for ears that hear, eyes that see, and a heart that is open.
Ok, that's it for today, but hold on, Father God. I just set a schedule for art classes in my art studio at our home this week. Did I mention that? Yeah, there's that too, Father God, I want kids and adults in my community to seek light, grace, and creativity in my creative space. Father God I need your favor as we try to put freon in the Sandymobile and find that the condenser fan is not running. Allow us the capability to fix it or to have a friend that can help us.
May each of you find peace, light, and joy in the moment. May each of you seek grace when things feel less than stellar. And, may you find precious joy in the moments that is life.
Peace be with you- Sherry
