A MOM AND HER LITTLE DUCKLINGS....

Today after church I was driving to the mall to pick up my new glasses that I ordered last night. Well, I was travelling down Route 9 and I saw a mom walking down the road with 3 children in tow. It is hot out today. I wondered if they were headng to Wendy's. I had already passed, but God wouldn't let it go in my spirit. I went up to the mall turn around and headed back. When I got back, they had passed Wendy's and were walking in the shopping center. I followed for a moment to see where they were headed. They stopped in a Rainbow clothes store and were standing near the front. I pulled up, jumped out, and handed the mom a $20 bill. I told her that God wanted me to give that to her, to buy some lunch with it, and then it was obvious that she had no idea what I said. I just said, "God bless you." and walked away. As I walked away I saw her oldest son scratching off a lottery ticket. (Maybe at another time in my life I would've thought judging thoughts about that waste of money, but not today, I thought of the desperation they must feel to buy scratch off tickets and have no car). As I drove away, they were kind of just standing there looking a little stunned, but I trust that they felt blessed too. I continued on to get my glasses, which were done completey wrong (they put the tinted lenses in my regular glases). Then I found out that both sets of lenses would take 7-10 days (definitely not 1 hour). I was patient and kind about the mix up and then the supervisor announced that she was going to refund $25 to me for the inconvenience. I know that I drove all that way, and that direction, to bless that lady and her kids.

William... long time no see.

The girls and I had dentist appointments, followed by eye doctor appointments last week. We had a couple of hours in between, so we decided to go to Marine Park and do our work on a blanket, play on the playground, and then one block over to the eye doctor. Well, the girls who were reminded multiple times to bring a water bottle, forgot. I told them that I would stop and get some, but they had to pay for them, because they forgot and we are being cautious of our eating out budget. Anyway, back to the real part of my story... I had to decide where to stop. I was gonna stop at the gas station, but then I remembered a 7-11 right past our old church. I figured it would be a fun drive-by. Little did I know that the catholic school around the block would be dismissing and sending lots of busses right where I needed to turn... left! We waited our turn and finally turned. We were at 7-11 in no time. As we pulled up, I noticed someone familiar- William. He was looking into every trash can. He seemed a bit frantic. I HAD to get out and try to help him. I told the girls to wait in the car and explained that William used to attend FBC with us. I approached him cautiously because I wasn't sure how he would respond. William is very smart, but he suffers with some type of disability because he does not care for himself. He is always extremely dirty, his teeth need lots of attention, and quite frankly he smells. Anyway, I approached and called him by name. I explained where I new him from and asked if he needed some food from inside the store. I told him to buy anything he needed and I would pay for it. First he got 2 newspapers (he's kind of obsessed with them), then he got a 2 liter pepsi, 2 quarts of twix ice-cream, and a quart of chocolate milk (let's hope he is not diabetic). I encouraged him to get a sandwich, so he chose tuna. Then he remembered he needed toilet paper, so we found that. I noticed that he was having a very difficult time seeing- his glasses were on top of his head, so I supposed that they were either really dirty or not helpful anymore. After we paid for his stuff and the 2 water bottles we went outside. William was muttering about getting home by 8pm to watch a show. I was about 3pm. He also mentioned that it was one of the hottest Cinco De Mayo days ever. I was just about to let him leave, but I knew I had to drive him home. It was so hot. He seemed so confused. He had things that would melt on a walk from the river to the West side of Red Bank where he lives. So I told him to hop in. We put his rolling suitcase and groceries in the back of the van. I introduced him to the girls and set off for his house. Genevieve had no idea who he was and wasn't so sure he was safe, so she climed into the back seat before he got in. We had a little trouble finding his house, but a police officer came by the perfect time and directed me to the correct street. We dropped William off and wished him well. I am still going to see if I can contact my eye doctor's office about the possibility of an eye exam and new glasses for William. Well, fast forward to this mornng on the way to church. I told the family that the other night in a neighborhood I was driving through, I saw a 20 something young man with a broken down car. I pulled up to him, far enough away that he couldn't reach the van, and asked if everything was ok, if he had a phone, and if he had called for help. He had, so i told him good night. When I told my family that he said he was going to try and push his car into the nearby basketball court's driveway, someone asked if I offered to help. I said, "NO WAY." That would be very dangerous for me to do alone. That opened up a great conversation about never judging a book by it's cover. We talked about how most people would look at William and never talk to him or offer him help, but that the kid with the car looked "normal", but he could've been a bad person. Good conversation to have...never know how 2 encounters in one week can be weaved together to teach the girls a couple of valuable life lessons. ONLY GOD can do something like that.

First Stop on the Giving Train... helping my friend.

My first opportunity to give was super-exciting to me because I was able to help a friend. This friend has been through a very rough time for the past 2 years. She is finally seeing the sun shine again. I wanted to bless her and her daughter by helping pay their way on a trip. I suppose I was being a bit selfish, because I am also going on the trip and I really want my friend to be there. I am looking forward to a great time.

What's This All About?

So, I am starting another blog to keep a record of my giving moments. You see, my daddy left me some life insurance money and I have $10,000 to tithe. I am ashamed to say that my first thought, because it was life insurance, was not to tithe. However, at 2 different times God grabbed my heart and mind: Telling me that I MUST give that money away. I am excited. $10,000 to help anybody that has a need. I will tell each story in a blog entry. If you learn to give freely through my blog, then it is time well spent.