Angel's among us

If I ever doubted the power of the promptings of the spirit, this week has proven to me how strong that power really can be when acted upon. It started off with me feeling down in the dumps one day. I was missing my friends. I was missing my family. I tried calling a few people to talk to, but with no luck. I was couped up in my house during this freezing period of winter feeling alone and depressed. I think the winter time does that to a lot of people, right? Tell me, Im not the only one.

Anyway, just as I was thinking, I should just sit all day and wallow in my self-pity instead of being productive, came a knock at the door. "Dang, you mean I actually have to answer the door looking and feeling like this? Who could it possibly be, and what are they selling now?" If my kids werent the types to run to the door screaming "Ill get it!" every time they hear a knock and peer out the window, I probably would have ignored it. But by now, they knew I was home. I had to answer. To my surprise, as soon as I answered it, a bouquet of flowers was placed in my hands, with no other explanation than "here...because your special." and off they went. It was a drop and run...literally. I stood looking at her with a bewildered look on my face, wondering what I had done so "special". But as I entered the house, an amazing thing happened.

I smiled.

This person, this neighbor who I know had problems of her own to deal with, took 5 minutes out of her day to make me feel better. I dont know how she knew...she didnt know how I was feeling. Most likely she just felt a prompting to bring something to me with no more reason why than I had, and she followed through. She was an angel.

Not 2 days later, a couple of the kids were sick with fevers, coughs, and runny noses. I mentioned it to a friend as an excuse to cancel something. A couple hours later, there was a pack of Gatorade left on the doorstep from her. I wanted to cry. Twice in one week!? Where are all these helpful people coming from?

A couple more days pass. Brylee was still sick. She hadnt been sleeping well for days. She hadnt been eating. All day long, all I could do was hold her while she cried. Feeling exhausted and frustrated, I managed to pull together something for dinner while listening to Brylee cry the whole time. Still, the kids complained about the food on their plate, and questioned why there wasnt more variety. Unfortunately Ryan had to go back out as soon as we finished eating; to fulfill his yearly opthamologist appointment, taking Madi with him. I had to survive a while longer on my own. When Ryan returned, he came bearing more flowers, this time in the form of a dozen red roses. Im so thankful for my angel of a husband who is receptive to my need for a little extra love, and a show of appreciation.

Oh, Im still not finished, it gets better. Another day passes. 5 days after the first showing of illness, and 6 after my destruction of self-worth. I put it out there in facebook world. People always share their frustrations there...why cant I? More comments than normal came my way, the "Oh I hope you dont get it" to " I know how your feeling" and "I hope your feeling better soon". But one person in particular decided to come to my rescue...again. A couple hours later, I received yet another knock at the door. It was another angel, this time bearing the most awesome care package you could ask for. Complete with a full dinner, boxes of Kleenex (which I happened to be totally out of after all the nose wiping going on), mineral water, popsicles for the kids, and a Take 5 (candy bar) for me. I was so relieved that I didnt have to come up with another dinner through crying children again. Seriously, what did I do to deserve this outpouring of love? Ryan aside, I havent done anything noteworthy for these people, and here they were serving me and my family. 4 different angels, 4 different days all in the same week, and all following promptings to serve. I didnt ask for this. They didnt ask either, they only acted.

So I have had my eyes opened. If I learned anything from all this, it is that I want to be like them. I want to be the kind of person who can pick up on a prompting and follow through with it, even if I dont know why. No questions asked. Just do it. Ill feel better, and I know they will too. I also learned, that even in the winter months, Im not alone. I do have friends here, people who care about me. Silly me, thinking no one cared. How wrong I was! We are never alone. Someone knew what I needed, and showed me His love. His love through the kindness of others.

And if you are wondering, There is still sickness at our house. Im feeling it, Brylee is still feeling it. With the 7 of us, it may be a while before it works its nasty way through us all and goes away. But somehow, now it feels a little bit easier to handle.

Thank you to all my angel's this week!

*Also, if you happen to have your sound muted, take a second to listen to the first song on my playlist at the bottom. Its perfect for this! Love it!*