Look back and call it good

I heard today that Flying J filed for chapter 11. (What a mean thing to do so close to Christmas!) I felt a whoosh of gratitude pass through me (that Bruce no longer worked there). In September when they let Bruce go I felt over and over again that we were going to look back and feel like it was a good thing and that they had really done us a favor. It was a worrisome time, the stock market kept falling, the economy looked worse every day. He had 6-8 opportunities that were looking good when the company he is working for made him an offer. It would have been nice at the time to be able to wait a week or so and see if some of the other opportunities came through but we both felt good about it so he accepted. Within a couple of days Bruce found that because of the economy most of the other companies that were hiring had retracted the opening. We were so grateful that he had accepted the initial offer. Again today I feel so thankful to be able to look back and see the promise of "all things shall work together for your good" fulfilled in our lives.

Gratitude on Black Friday

Katrina, Krysta and I went out shopping at 4:30am to hit the day after Thanksgiving sales. Katrina thinks it is a tradition and really enjoys it. We made a plan the night before and decided where to go and what to look for. We don't have a high tolerence for long lines or standing in the cold or crowds of people. We also have the rule that we can't care if we get what we want, we're just going for fun. We got to Walmart at about 5:20. We laughed at the men with big grins on their faces loading their big screen TV's into their cars. We got inside and all the checkstands were open and lines from each one stretched back into the middle of the store. We were interested in two things, both electronics. A clerk in that department told us that the first one was gone and for the second thing we would need to get in a line that started at layaway and stretched almost back to the tire store. As we were learning this we became separated from Katrina. I looked around and then my phone rang, it was her. When we joined back up she showed us what she had found. She had both of the electronics on our wish list. She said that as the clerk was telling someone else that all of the one product was gone, she looked on the shelf in front of her and saw one. As she picked it up there was the second thing randomly sitting there also. It was amazing, it felt like gift, and I think it was. Later in the day I was saddened to hear of the shoppers in a very similar situation, where in a Walmart in NewYork the crowds were so pushy they bent doorframes, injured multiple people, and killed a man. What a sad thing that they cared more about a "deal" than the people around them. That they would feel like the only way to get ahead was to push and shove and look out for number one. What a comfort to know that we are not alone, the Lord is on our side. He blesses us in abundance with the things we need most and He also blesses us with occasional random gifts as he shows His love for us.