Surprised

I'm not a very trendy person. My clothes are threadbare and shabby because I buy them at the second hand store and then wear them for a good ten years (I'm ever grateful to my sweet husband who humors me by asking, with great sincerity, "Is that new? You look very nice.")

It's rare that I can say, "I saw that coming from a mile away." Just last week a former student of mine named Kate came into the store. She had been in my summer class two years ago, earning straight A's on her way to a teacher-education degree. She was energetic, funny, artistic and beautiful.

She is still beautiful, but her face shows signs of sadness and struggle. She has a newborn, her third child, and her husband left her in February. She works as a caricature artist at the local Amusement Park to feed her babies.

I tried my best to encourage her.

I'm surprised that my parents and my brother won't speak to me. I was surprised when a counselor suggested that this may be a spiritual battle. She encouraged me to pray to be delivered from the situation and to ask friends to pray and fast, asking for the same.

This past weekend was Old Fashioned at our church at there was something new...circus clowns. The theme was "under the big top"" and Pastor Olsen reminded us to have the heart and innocence of a child. It was a magical," delightful day, a true escape from the ugliness of work and family drama.

Earlier this summer J suffered a football injury at camp. He was literally blind sided and the hit nearly broke his knee. The injury took him out of his summer job.

Looking back now, that injury separated him from a potentially toxic environment.

God knows. He knows what we need. May I be open to His surprises.