Surprised by God

Oh, I was drowning in a sea of self-pity this afternoon. Sitting in the parking lot, with big ol' crocodile tears running down my cheeks. Hey, it happens. It was just one of those days, you know? The weather was frightful -- cold, cold and more cold, with a good dash of gloomy thrown in for good measure. I did not move to the South to endure this kind of weather. I had more than enough in Northwest Indiana and thought I had left the worst of it behind me. Not. This is supposed to be one of the colder winters on record here. Can't wait (note the hint of sarcasm). And I was missing my grandkids -- haven't seen them in several months and just want to hug them and listen to them chatter on about their lives. Really missed them today. And then, to top it off, I went to the eye doctor recently to get glasses and it cost a lot. Actually, truth be told, I got a great deal on the glasses with my vision insurance. The whole thing -- exam and bifocals (yes, I'm getting old) and glare reduction and frames -- cost a whopping $600, but with my insurance, I only had to pay $200. I was very happy with that, but that $200 was pretty much my grocery money out of this paycheck. So I was feeling the pinch today when I added all the bills and there wasn't much left afterwards. Gotta have the glasses, but man, it hurts. I was just feeling down, with the mix of weather and no grandkids and extra money for glasses. And I cried. So God heard me (doesn't He always, even though sometimes it seems like he's a little deaf???) and surprised me. See, the employees where I work had received a letter from the owners several months ago, saying that because of the bad economy this year, there would be no Christmas bonuses. These are great owners -- they took the employees on a free cruise last year, and gave nice Christmas bonuses last holiday season. So it was obvious they wanted to reward us this year, but had been hit hard by the economy. We all accepted it and moved on. Bummer, but that's life sometimes. Well, I went in to work after my shift tonight and was talking with the accountant about the weather, when she gave me my check stub in an envelope and said to look inside because there was a surprise. I did, and there was a $100 gift card for Walmart, along with a letter from the owners saying they really wanted to show their appreciation to us this year, after all. Keep in mind they have about 400 employees!! I was absolutely shocked at their show of kindness, and could almost feel a big poke on my shoulder and a chuckle from God. Was He listening? You betcha. It was just the shot in the arm that I needed. It's these kinds of things that remind me that God does indeed understand us and know what we need when we are down the most. He picks us back up, brushes away our tears and offers us His love. I am grateful for that today. I really needed that encouragement. And I just want to say thanks.