Chance Meeting

Adam and I went shopping at Sam's Club the other day. We always talk to strangers; I can't get Adam to stop. Sometimes it irritates me, because I want to get finished and because it's not always safe. We do, however, get to meet some pretty interesting people this way.
Adam did his usual hand waving and "C'mere, C'mere" to a man in the store. He responded by saying hello and coming over after making eye contact with me. I nodded my acceptance of the meeting. He was very nice. Adam asked "What's your name?" and the man responded that his name was Fernando. He asked Adam his name, and they talked for a few minutes. I entered the conversation to translate as neccesary, but Fernando had little difficulty understanding him.
He told me that he used to work with people like Adam In fact, His mother, his father and his sister all also worked with special needs people. His family had all since retired, and his parents are no longer living. Fernando is also a former Marine and Harley Davidson enthisiast. You find out all kinds of things when you spend a few minutes listening to strangers.
I thanked him for his work with our precious ones, and told him he is a blessing to us and to many. I mentioned how unusual it is for so many in one family to work in the same field, and what wonderful hearts they all have.This big, strong, former Marine teared up at my remarks. I asked him to please thank his family for us; people like them are so important to our families.. I told him what a generous, loving person he is and how grateful I was for that. His eyes were full, and so was his heart. We shook hands and parted. You never know who you're going to meet, especially when you take a trip with Adam. Maybe you'd like to join us sometime. :0} Peace and love to my readers today.

Kids, Apple Slices, and a Persistant Father

We had a busy day today; Adam had another doctor's appointment, we went to the bank, we picked up Maggie, and then went shopping for a few things. The kids were so good, and I told them I'd take then for something to eat. Fast food is fast, easy and guaranteed to be popular, so we went through the drive through and then parked to have our lunch. We were enjoying the rest after a lot of walking, and I wanted Adam in particular to sit for a while.
He asked me to open his apple slices, and when I tried, I noticed that they looked funny so I checked the date. It said 4-12. I was upset. Maggie was already eating hers. I took them away from her and checked the date, and it was fine...sometime in June. Relief.
Now I was annoyed. I didn't want to drag the kids out of the car again, I just wanted to sit and enjoy some down time. Adam's leg was hurting, and I didn't want him up. BUT...I wanted to tell the restaurant about the outdated food. But, it's a pain to get him and the baby out of the car; drag Adam out, drag the walker out of the car again, unhook Maggie and get her out of the seat, and then us safely across the busy parking lot. What a pain! At first, it was because I was annoyed, and I wasn't going to bother reporting it. But as I sat there thinking, I became concerned for anyone else who might get served a bad portion of food. Maybe they would eat it and get sick. I felt the need to deal with it, but I was grumbling to myself as I got everyone out of the car. Neither child wanted to be disturbed and protested loudly.
I went inside and asked for the manager. I was going to just tell one of the workers, but I felt the pressure to ask for the manager. Adam and Maggie were patient and waited quietly. A young woman who looked to be in her very early twenties came over and asked if she could help me. I motioned her away from anyone who was nearby and said that I didn't want to make a fuss about it, but that the apples were outdated. I didn't want there to be a problem for anyone else. Upon close inspection, it turns out that the apples weren't expired, I just couldn't see the whole date. She pointed it out to me and they were good until June, but they did look yucky. She said she'd get us another package and check the other portions.
While we were talking, I noticed some distintive scarring on her inner forearms; she was a cutter. Some of the scars were pretty deep. I wanted to say something encouraging to her, but I didn't want to offend her. I thought about it while she was getting us some fresh apples. When she came back, I took her hand and said," I just wanted to say 'God bless you.' I can see that you've been fighting a hard battle, and that you're winning.". She held my hand and didn't pull away. She looked at me and smiled and said "I've been reading my bible every day, and it's really helping me." I was so pleasantly surprised. I said I knew that it does; it always does. I put my arm around her shoulders for a moment and said, "I just want you to know, from one Christian sister to another, I'm so proud of you. So very proud." Her face lit up and we wished each other a nice day; I had to leave and she had to work. A nice young man held the door open for my little troop and we went back out to the car.
I was so thankful to the Lord for prompting me over and over about going inside. I didn't realize it was Him until I saw those scars and heard her response. I've been telling Him lately that I want to make a difference and have those chance encounters for Him, and I almost missed this one.  Even going inside, if I hadn't asked for the manager, I would still have missed this divine appointment. Isn't He so good? He just pricked my conscience until I had to respond. He wanted to give one of His daughters a touch of Himself in her busy day, and He made me available to do it. I am so blessed.
God stops by in so many ways; if I don't pay attention, I just might miss Him.

(for my readers who may not know, a cutter is someone who cuts or slices into their body for various reasons, often to dull the pain of something that hurts much worse and is much deeper than the damage they're doing to their skin. it can be a very difficult behavior to stop)