A sweet night…

After a long day…God had a sweet night in store for me. I was sitting in my back yard with Frank—enjoying the quiet (that is until the neighbor’s dogs started growling at is…if you have a trick for how to stop that one…lemme know;)…and again was taken back by all the beautiful things that surround me dispite the background noise around me…

Like a flower garden that the Lord cares for and grows…Did I grow that? Absolutely not. I haven’t watered these…not done one thing! Yet…He is able. How He cares for these and creates them with splendor…yet how much MORE He cares for us!

Then later I was heading out the door to meet my Bible study girls for a long-planned GNO (girls night out). And I had to run back inside and grab my camera when I saw this beautiful image…Sitting pretty and mounted on my love’s truck…a bottle. I just love the life the Lord has blessed us with. And my mommy heart longs for more…yet my heart is at rest and at peace with where and how the Lord leads. OH…and not to mention—God’s beautiful creation in the back. The clouds! The sky! Again…the Lord blows me away.

As if that isn’t enough—I head to this completely Southern local restaurant…you know the type–Fried Pickles for appetizers and sweet peach tee…just locals working the joint. I’m sitting there with 9 of the girls that I have done life with for the past 2 years. Just happened to have our Bible study night…our last night meeting and our Girls Night…the night I would need most to be around the girls who we have walked through everything with. We’ve seen it all together. A husband fighting cancer. Pregnancies. Miscarriages. Births. Death. Job loss…job gains. You name it…we’ve been holding hands through it. There we all sat…and I didn’t have to say a word about how I was feeling–because they. all. knew. And there we sat…eating fried pickles and talking about our kids (and doing impersonations that make my side hurt!). Love those girls.

Then out of no where—my social worker…whom I have never seen in public—walks up. She just HAPPENED to be having dinner there…and just happened to have read my blog today…and it was such fun to introduce her to all my girls. (Love you Donna!). I love how the Lord surrounded me with the people who have been such a big part of our journey to Isaac tonight. PRECIOUS.

And as if it couldn’t get any better…

Later, one of the waitresses walks up says, “Excuse me…would you like some more tea?” in an ancient my heart some way without every being there knew…

and so I asked, “Ma’am, where are you from?”

And in the most beautiful accent and cocking her head she replied, “E-t-iopia.”

That’s. what. I. Thought.

Of course you are.

A waitress at this small country local joint…that serves fried pickles and whom I am a regular at…and I’ve never seen you before…but of course tonight—you are here…and there we sat…talking about Addis and Welayta…and the South region.

Of course.

Would you expect anything else from a God who is so big?

Thank you Lord for showing me that you are in this…over and over and over again. I loved that my Bible study girls were sitting there when Donna walked up. And even more when our Ethiopian server came to talk. I couldn’t say anything but, “This is just crazy! Crazy, I tell you. God is so in this…and I am just amazed.”

And then we left. They actually kindly told us they were closed. So for the next hour we stood in the parking lot and laughed until our sides hurt. Oh, the joys of friends who know you best—and who can make you laugh on days like today. Thank you Lord…for the flowers, the clouds, the reminder of our beautiful life with the bottle…our social worker walking by during our dinner, for the random Ethiopian waitress…and for the best of friends.

So thankful. How can I not praise my God?!

Praying for complete healing of Isaac’s mom. And of course 9 more days until our next court appointment. God is in this! Will you join me in praying for another miracle?!