I am doing something novel this day.  It is only 4:16 p.m. as I start this blog and the day is not over yet.  Who knows what could happen between now and nightfall.  It has been extremely peaceful due to lack of people around me.  Just Mr. David S. and that his been hit and miss as he is in and out.  I have not gone out into the world yet today but today God brought the world to me.

Ericka and Lilly went to play with cousins and I decided to try and get the rest of my reservations booked for my return home.  I am waiting now to find out if I have one or two days in Billings as a guest of Brian’s friends who live there.  Then I can complete the bookings.

While sitting here minding my own business someone knocked at my door.  David S. was out on a bicycle ride so I was all alone.  I cautiously peered out between the cracks in the living room drapes and saw a tall, well dressed young man standing on the porch, a comfortable space away from the door.  Not exactly what I wanted, someone knocking at my door but my heart quickened and I knew this person had come on this porch for some reason.  That reason was to hear the words I said to him.  I didn’t know that then, or even expect it.  Actually, I had no clue that I would even be talking to him other than to find out what he wanted.

The man at the door was James.  He was representing Edward Jones Investment.  After hearing what he had to say I told him my situation was temporary in the home and that I didn’t live in the area.  And so we started talking.  One thing led to another and the discussion of my trip came up, thus the discussion about asking him about his wisdom.  I picked up my phone, put it on record and he spoke his wisdom into my phone before I even knew what he was going to say.

James’ wisdom: “My wisdom is not to settle.  Don’t settle with things you are not happy with. Don’t settle, just keep going and keep trying new things, seeing new places as my new friend here is and I think that is where the enjoyment of life comes from.”

And then I knew I had words for James.  I shared my love and life and joy and peace with James.  He was so kind and considerate and listened so patiently.  I shared about my love for Jesus and how he could know him too and how to ask Christ into his life.  I actually felt led to give him a poem I wrote a few years ago about “God of the Scriptures” and gift him with a “Jesus Calling” book by Sarah Young.  He received them and said something that touched my heart.  He said I was his last call for the day because of the words I spoke he had to leave and reflect and think about what I told him.  I may never see James again on this side of eternity but I do hope that I will see him in heaven.  I will be waiting for him.  James is a person, who to me, is just waiting for God to happen to him.  Just by looking at him, hearing him speak, seeing his demeanor, hearing his wisdom, he has so much potential and so much value to God.  God is just waiting for him to open the door of his heart to let him in.  I asked James If I could pray over him and he accepted my offer.  I really do pray that God will bless him.

James was very helpful in pointing out places of interest to me on the map (which I brought out to the front porch).  We had a very nice conversation and I am so amazed how, when I chose not to go out, God just brought me the one he wanted me to share with.  It was such a privilege to be able to share my love for the Lord with James.  Thank you James for your receptive heart.  And all along he knew that I was leaving town and not a potential client.  Maybe that means he was really sincere in listening.

James’ wisdom was very intriguing to me.  As a writer who wants to know “the rest of the story” I could not help but wonder the root of where that wisdom came from.

Plans have changed.  We were planning to go out to eat tonight but instead of (as David S. said to Brian: “oh, you want to eat at home rather than take the traveling zoo?”) eating out David and I are going to pick up the order at the “Whitehouse Grill” and take it over to Brian’s house.  I ordered   The most popular item:  THE MIXED GRILL: Grilled Chilean Sea Bass, Tiger Prawns, Curry chicken placed over our house rice and served with garlic green beans.  Plus we ordered:  Shepherd salad with chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, Kalamata olives, onions, tossed in our Greek vinaigrette topped with Feta cheese.

I’m down to my last nine days and one pair of pants.  I might as well have those tiger prawns!

I think I will close this blog for the night even though the day is not done.  In a nutshell, we plan to pick up the food, take it to Brian’s place, eat it, pick cherries, eventually come back here and get to bed too late with too many calories sleeping within us.  Sounds like a good rest of the day to me!

Woke up without an alarm!  That is always the beginning of a good day.  Prepared for church and left for the 8:30 a.m. service.  I attended REAL LIFE MINISTRIES.  They have three Sunday morning services, 8:30, 10:00, and 11:30 a.m and two Thursday p.m. services.  Fast quick and right on time.   And that was with communion!  The church is having a month long series on investing in the youth of today.  The young people preached and led worship service.  The worship was beautifully done but very short.  The people were very friendly.  I met someone there and it was like God fulfilling another little desire I had expressed in my thoughts yesterday.  In order to explain I must go back and touch on something that happened on Friday.

If you read Friday’s blog you may remember that my car has a mind of its own and it took me to the HUGE-MEGA-SALE!  It was a happening place.  Lots of people and lots of items being sold.  Well, today at church I was leaving the first service and I saw a sign up for ushers needed for communion and for taking the offering.  I thought, why not, no one will even suspect that this is my first and only day of being here.  I signed up and had a two minutes instruction plan given to me.  There are many sections and four ushers per section.  Two start at the front and two start at the back.  I was at the back starting position.  I took two trays of rectangular plastic trays with a center area of about 2X3 inches for the “bread”.  The trays are light and easy for my hands.  I watch my opposing usher and I give my two trays to the two rows in front of the two back rows, as she had given hers to the first two back rows.  Then I go back, take the two trays when they get to my side and carry the two trays forward.  Communion is passed out in about 3 minutes or less with the entire facility handled this way.  Signing up for communion automatically positioned me as the offering usher.  The buckets, (literal buckets) were in all different colors.  They looked like children’s plastic sand buckets but without the handle.  Offering was taken in the same procedure as the communion.  Like I said before…very efficient and quick!

I successfully returned with two partial trays of leftover communion cups and crackers to pick up my buckets.  A lady came up to me and reminded me that she had met me on Friday at her garage sale.  You remember, the HUGE-MEGA-SALE!  Then I really looked at her and realized who she was.  I so much had wanted to return to her sale on Saturday but if you read yesterday’s blog you’ll know that was impossible to do.  Well, I had a lot of questions I had wanted to ask and asked her if we could talk after the offering was taken.  When we were finished with offering we walked to the foyer and had a good time talking.  She had mentioned on Friday that the items of the sale were from a storage unit auction that she and her husband had purchased. I asked her if I could ask questions.  She gave me permission to ask and permission to tell her story on my blog.

This is the story of Melissa.  After the service I was introduced to her husband but I have forgotten his name.  Sorry Melissa.  Melissa and her husband are hoping to be able to move from town to a place that has some acreage so they can have more freedom of allowing their children to have places to play, have chickens, a large garden and live closer in harmony to nature.  I could feel her passion and desire for this as she spoke to me.  She touched briefly on how her life had become so out of control, she used drugs, was not living a godly life and was in a difficult position of life.  Though she was raised in a church she didn’t really feel she had a relationship with Jesus.  She made a new commitment to God and now is living a life she never dreamed of.  She has a four year old son and a daughter due in September.  This investment in the auction could mean a great deal to her and her husband and their hopes and goals.

She shared with me that she had taken the storage unit for $2700 and had to figure in about $300 to pay the taxes on it plus an additional $200 to rent a U-Haul truck and trailer.  She had 48 hours to remove the items from the large storage unit or she would have to pay $500 for rental fees.  So making haste was the underlying priority.  It took one U-Haul truck, one pickup truck and one trailer to empty it out.  It completely filled their garage from floor to ceiling.  I saw what was still in the garage when I was there and it appeared there was more in than out.  They were constantly unpacking.  She indicated that they financially broke even this weekend and now the rest was for their real estate investments.  There were a lot of things that would be sold in other ways than the garage sale because they were more valuable collectable items.  There were several different collections and nice furniture.  We had a short prayer and I told her that I felt this had been a divine meeting.  She agreed.  I then asked her for her wisdom.

Melissa’s words of wisdom: “Everything roots back to the Lord.  If you have a relationship with the Lord everything will prosper. There are so many opportunities out there.  When opportunities arise go for them, grab them.  You never know what life journey you will go on.  You may just live out your dreams.   LIVE**LOVE**LEARN!  Yes, live, love, and remember, everything all goes back to the Lord.”

An amazing story.  Thank you Melissa.  Melissa then told me that yes it was indeed a “divine meeting”.  Then she tells me her name is Melissa Divine.  How sweet that name is!  I left knowing that my hopes in meeting her again had come true and now I have heard part of her story.

I went to my borrowed home, prepared a snack and left for some shopping.  While there I had opportunity to meet a young lady and talk to her.  I asked about a large tattoo that went across her back and asked about the skull and its significance.  She told me the skull represents a dark time in her life and the wings coming out from it represented hope and her new freedom of flying away from all the bad.  Her life was now on an upward road and things were better.  Sheree is 24 years old.

Sheree’s words of wisdom:  “Just keep going in life and never give up and be around positive people.”

I asked Sheree if I could pray for her.  She excitedly and positively said yes she would like that.  I feel so honored to be able to pray for strangers and know that God is hearing these prayer and perhaps starting a greater work in the lives of those I meet.

Her wisdom came without hesitation.  I could tell that Sheree has had quite a journey.  I am proud of you Sheree for being such a positive young woman regardless of what you have faced and battled in the past.  I shall continue to pray for you to be strong and to come to know the Lord in a closer and deeper way.

I then went to a wonderful place to eat.  There was a young man working behind the counter cooking my chicken.  I asked him what wisdom he has learned.  His quick response was so straight forward and immediate that I knew it was a lesson he had learned recently and meant with sincerity.  This young man is 19 and his name is Sam.

Here is Sam’s wisdom:  “The most important thing in life to to be honest with yourself.  I just graduated from high school and when you are in high school you try to act the coolest, trying to act like someone you are not.  That is not important.  When you want true friendships and people to truly love you, you have to be yourself and act on the strong impulses that you know are true and not what may seem logically true or fashionably true, but what is true to yourself and the person you want to be.  Always be honest in everything you say and do.”

It is so interesting to hear the wisdom of the young.  Sam, if you ever read this blog know that there is an absolute truth and that truth is Jesus, the son of God.

After I left the mall in downtown Coeur d’Alene I drove up second hand street.  I call it that because there are so many resale shops on it.  Being Sunday I found only two open but only shopped at one.  It was half price off all books!  Oh what a deal!  How could I pass that up?  When I found out that information I went back and bought a few more, mostly to give away.  When I told the cashier that, (a man that looked a bit like Santa Clause with a long white braid), he gave me a big price cut.  That was even a better deal!  Maybe he really was Santa Clause.  I wish I had taken his picture.  I didn’t think of it at the time.  Oh well, can’t remember everything.

When I arrived back at home base I could not get into the house.  My code would not work.  So I called everyone I knew that could help and no one answered.  So what is there to do in a crisis when you can’t get in, you need to use the restroom, and you have food in your iced bag?  That’s right!  You eat.  So I did.  And it was good!  Then I got the call.  Everyone was 45 minutes to 1 hour away.  So I had to go shopping again.  This time closer and to only one place.  And it was good.  They had a restroom!

Home again and everyone comes over and the men BBQ’d and Ericka and I concocted side dishes from leftovers.  It was delicious!  I could learn to live like this except I soon would not fit into the clothes I brought with me.  I’m already having a bit of trouble buttoning my britches!  PRINCETON CLUB HERE I COME!

It is 10:05 and I shall plow my way through to the bed in my messy room.  Hope it all fits back in my car.  What a mushrooming mess I have.  Oh well, I’ll not think about that now.  I’ll think about that tomorrow.  Now is for sleeping!

Good night everyone.  I had an awesome day.  Hope yours was too.

Uh Oh!  I have one more story to tell before I go to bed.  I called Dave on his birthday and it reminded me of the story I am going to tell.

Several years ago I would go away on some weekends to speak at women’s retreats.  I would be gone from Friday until Sunday afternoon.  One particular weekend I told Dave I should be home by 5:00 p.m.  Well I came in the back garage door at 3:00 p.m.  I hear Courtland running lickity split down the stairs saying in a harried, hushed voice, “Dad, dad, mom’s home!”  I then see Dave walking up the stairs.  I walk into the kitchen view and notice the sink and counter are PILED WITH DIRTY DISHES!  My eyebrows shoot up and I look at Dave and he looks at me.  He says: “Oh I thought you would be home at 5:00”.  I said, “Yes, that’s right.  I’ll be back at 5:00”.  I turned around without another word, walked back to my car and drove away (probably went shopping).  I came back at five.  The kitchen was spotless, the house was picked up and all was well.  I later asked him if this is what they did every weekend when I went away.  He admitted that yes it was.  They don’t do any dishes until just before I come home and then they all rush around and get the whole house back in order just before I arrive.  Hmmm…You see, there is a rule at my house that no dirty dishes are ever parked in the sink because then you can’t wash your hands and use the sink for the other uses it has.

Back to the conversation from Dave’s birthday call.  I asked him how the house was.  I was wondering if there were dirty dishes in the sink.  He tells me that he guesses he better start now getting things back in order because since I’ve been gone so long it might take him a couple of weeks to do it instead of a couple of hours.  Oh well…just hope there are no rings in the toilet.  However, I just made sure that he knew when I would be there.  I won’t dare come home early.

Goodnight again.