Those Blessed Strangers

There is a verse in the Bible that says God is able to give us more than we ask or think. Over at The Bargain Shopper Lady there is a story about her Christmas and how a stranger gave her and her husband a real blessing. She has challenged us bloggers to share a story of when strangers helped us and blessed us so that our stories may encourage and bless others.

I decided to share two stories of the many with you. One is on this blog and then another on my blog Meet Me In The Garden.

Many years ago when my first husband was in Seminary we were a family struggling financially. If it were not for strangers we would have not made it. Our plans were for us to marry and me work while he finished college and seminary. This would make a total of 5 years before we started a family. Three months after we married we found out I was pregnant and when the baby was born we decided that my priority was our child. When Erik was 22 months old we found out another one was on the way. We had so little money, but knew if God was sending us this blessing then He would provide. Paul was due December 5th and we had no idea how we were going to get all we needed for a new baby (we had moved from PA to IN for seminary, so we got rid of anything we were not using when we moved). To our surprise the UPS man came and brought in boxes after boxes. When we opened them we were shocked! Everything we needed for a baby plus was in there, we could have had twins there was so much. Not only was there all this for a new baby, but there was toys and items for Erik as well "so he would not feel left out". Someone who knew us organized a baby shower in NY and strangers came and brought gifts for us. We were lacking for nothing, and even saved some new things for the next child as well as gave some away.

When God says He will supply and you trust Him for your needs HE does it ways that seem impossible to us as humans. If it were not for others, and their listening to the Lord, we would never have made it through the college, seminary and small churches. I praise God for each one of these people.

For more blessing stories, go here.

What Every Step Mom Wants To Hear

As I have written before, I am now part of a blended family. I am realizing more and more how much it means and how fortunate I am. It is not easy being so far from my side of the family, in fact it is very hard, but I can't imagine life without my husband Rick. He is one of the most loving men I have ever known and I am so blessed. As I said before, I am twice blessed in husbands. (NO, I do not currently have two husbands! Willie and I were married for almost 30 years when he went home to be with the Lord.)

I am also doubly bless with family. While I cry over missing my children and grand kids in ME, I know this is where God wants me now. God has answered my prayers with step children that love me and I them. One of them trusts me with her most precious possession, her daughter.

I have written about Scout in a previous blog, and the joy she brings, the easing of my missing family by watching her learn and the keeping me busy which wards off self pity. However today I want to tell you that I am so fortunate as a step mom also. This week I received a note from Scout's mom. It is a note that every step mom would love to get and I want to share some excerpts with you. I hope Katie does not mind, but I cry every time I look at this note.

"... I Love Scout more than I ever believed possible. She is such a beautiful child in every way and I know that is with your help. We are absolutely the blessed ones to have you looking after her every day. I can't imagine having to take her to anyone else. She is growing so fast and learning so much and I know if she were anywhere else we wouldn't know what all she was starting to do because to anyone else Scout would just be a job, and I know that isn't what she is with you. The older she gets, the more I want to stay home with her, but knowing she is with you makes all the difference. We truly are blessed to have you in our lives. Not only as Scouts' Grammie but as our mom also. .... from that first time I met you when I had gone to help Dad clean the house before you got there, any uneasiness I had went away. It was amazing how well you just fit from then on. So now I feel just as lucky to have you as I do Jay[her step dad], what society labels as a broken home is now two whole, happy homes. ... This family needed your loving, giving spirit. I know we can't fill the void you have from not seeing all your kids and grand kids all the time but I hope you do know that we love you and are thankful that you are in our lives. "

She started by saying she does not have a way with words, well, she sure does to me, It is what every step mom would love to hear. Thank You Katie (and please do not be mad at me for putting it in here!)

Blessings in Volunteering

Today was Angel Food Ministries distribution. Any of you that get Angel Food know that it is a savings for the food you get for your $25. There is no income level that must be given out, and everyone can order. While I may not like all the food, for the price you can donate the food that you do not like or want to someone else.

Our church has been doing this for a few months now and I have helped with both order taking and distributing. Today we had 160 boxes plus the specials to give out. People can come over an hour and half time frame and running like an assembly line it makes the giving out go quickly.

I sit and take the orders for the next time so people can pick up and place the next month's order in one trip. I enjoy this part of it because you can get to talk to the people that come and get to know the people in the community. I am a people person so I find it fun to have the different people come and many are not in a hurry so they talk a little. Today I had some elderly people that live alone and just want to talk, I had a younger woman with a child and the child was the talker and then I had another man who sat and talked.

This man was interesting. He lost his wife a year ago and I was able to share with him in his pain having lost my first husband and knowing what it was like. He then informed he has buried 3 wives and two of his children, one at 22 and one at 38. I listened to him talk about the circumstances around his kids death and then somehow he got to talking about his not being able to drive much anymore and having to part with some of his cars. Soon he was talking about these old cars he has in a museum in Maine. MAINE!!! With that he talked about the cars at the trolley museum and they have been there since 1973. I told him I have seen his cars, that I moved here from Maine and that I took my grandson, Sean, to that museum.

I was thrilled for the surprises that comes when you are doing things for others. Seems I get blessed more than they. This conversation made me think back to when Sean was little and loved trains so much. We took him and his cousin Ivy to go for a ride on a train in Wiscasset, ME. Sean was a tough kid, loved trains, yet when that train pulled up for us to get on he ran off! We had to grab him and fight him to get him on the train. Once he was there he was fine, but it took some doing to get him there.

Angel Food Ministries blessed many, but volunteering to work with it blesses me. I had not thought of that incident in a long time. Today I was able to think about the trolley museum trip with Sean and the train ride with he and Ivy and enjoy them again in my mind.

If you get the opportunity to help, take it. You never know who you will meet and how you will be blessed.