Laughter.
"Dead squirrels? What? What are you talking about?"
More laughter. Louder this time. Chuckles turning into guffaws.
Laughing voices layering upon each other like warm blankets.
"I heard squirrels too!" "Why are there dead squirrels at the observatory?" "I don't get it!"
"Scrolls!! I said Dead Sea scrolls!!"
Deep belly laughs. "SCROLLS!!! That makes more sense."
Minutes of pure hilarity. "I thought..." "Was she saying... " "I know I heard it too!" "That's SO funny." "Scrolls" "Squirrels..." "Who wants to see dead squirrels...? " "Yeah we got live ones in Colorado...!" We laughed until we cried.
That was my weekend. This is my life. I spent the weekend in sunny California for an Arabic Assembly. We had no expectations going into the weekend. Just a sense of doing the right thing and a preparedness to make a sacrifice. As is usually the case, when you are fully prepared to make sacrifice (in this case monetary) you get back so much more than you give. No one can out give God.
But you can't doubt. For people that doubt, it's the doubting that sinks the ship- faith has to be the assured expectation of things hoped for. If you doubt you get nothing. And you have to put something on the table. A trust token if you will. You have to be all in for the right reasons to see it clearly.
In any case this was, hands down, the newest best weekend of my life (given the complexity of making it happen I'm not surprised. You have to fight for your blessing.). And I've had some pretty good ones. It's hard to expound without it sounding like bragging. On a slightly topical plane literally every single thing we had hoped would happen happened. Down to seeing the Hollywood sign that I told my daughter I refused to find for her. The beach cities and Compton. Driving through Inglewood singing California Love. Another check mark on our collective bucket life lists.
But those were the superficial things. Fun but not substantive. The real pleasure was that we met new family. Not the blood kind, the deeper kind. Heaven on earth was moved to ensure that we had a place to stay. Literally. I mean, I'm a grownup and I had a hotel booked but as soon as I turned my cell phone back on after landing I had a call telling me arrangements had been made for us.
It was strange because given how independent I am it wasn't a need. I had a hotel, a car, lots of directions printed and the money to afford it all. I didn't understand the reason behind a further blessing of a home to stay in. But I went with it because I have leaned that when you come across a clear path laid by Powers Higher than you, you follow it and find the rainbow.
And what blessings. The new sister we met completely spoiled us in a way that only Jehovah's people can. I was humbled. I was awed. I learned from her example how to be more loving, giving and hospitable. I was shown true love. I was inspired to give love more freely.
I should no longer be surprised at how rich my spiritual heritage is. But I constantly am. My physical Aunt refused to let us stay at her hotel because she was mad at my Mom yet here is this virtual stranger who houses us, takes us out to eat (getting legitimately angry with me when I tried to pay), cooks our breakfasts, and makes our lunches- for free. All because we are united in faith. We hear it a lot, we say it a lot- but it bears repeating, "Only in Jehovah's organization. Only here." I pity the world bereft of its warmth.
On the days when I'm feeling low or hemmed in or questioning I always circle around to this true idea- no matter what, no matter what, I'm always sure that this is the best way to raise my kids and build the strongest healthiest kind of family. It takes a village and I have such a solid one that even as cranky teenagers questioning their place in the world, they never question the plethora of people that love them. They never question their worth. Even if nothing else is true (but of course it is), we have the best life ever. It is a direct result of these morals that cause us to have clear consciences, these principals that help us to be the best humans that we can, this acknowledgment of our place in the universe that keeps us humble, and these friends who love us and make us laugh. There is also no getting around the fact that when you give a little, with the right attitude, you get a lot.
The blessing of Jehovah has indeed made us rich.
-Dewb
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