He did well didn't he?
A month or so ago, I was sitting at work, just chatting away with the girls, when the phone rang. I answered.
"Thank you for calling Sam Leman's in Peoria. How can I love you today?"
Did you catch it?
I'm not sure if the customer did. If he did, he was kind enough to pretend he didn't. If I had been in his shoes, I would have wondered what kind of establishment was being run there... Needless to say, we all had a good giggle at my subconscious word choice.
Let's fast forward to today. It seemed to start with the blizzard. And the cold. And maybe people are experiencing that typical winter depression. Whatever the reason, work has been a bit of a mad house lately. The girls and I stopped and smiled at each other today, even though we were all at our breaking points.
"At least it's mutual, and we're still laughing together," was all I could say.
I headed out the door at the end of the day, feeling that those familiar tears of exhaustion and frustration could resurface at any moment. And then something magical happened.
I opened the door and breathed in. And breathed in deep. And breathed in until my lungs couldn't hold any more.
Let's remember, that I work close to downtown, in a pretty busy area of the city. However, when I breathed in the air after work, it was the sweet, damp scent of a Mississippi spring morning. Katie will back me up here. It is a specific smell that only occurs here on the most precious days.
No tears came, but if they had broken through, they had been changed to tears of relief.
As I repeatedly filled my lungs as much as possible, I basked in the fact that I wasn't shivering at all. I felt refreshed and comfortable. I got in my car, and instead of pulling out of there as quick as I could, as per usual, I sat. Just for a moment, but long enough.
Although I was refreshed, the mood from the day hadn't completely evaporated. So I turned on one of my favorite, sweet, sad, and somehow, still comforting songs*, opened the sunroof, and took my time getting to Katie's.
As I drove, it occurred to me. "How can I love you?" Today, that was how God loved me. He refreshed me... in a totally random, small, and probably meaningless way to anyone else. It was just what I needed though. A breath of fresh air.
He didn't stop there though. He allowed me strength to run three and a half miles, until I felt as though I was walking on clouds, my body floating. He gave me time with Katie, running, and eating a particularly healthy dinner, and now settling down for a good flick. He helped me feel stronger, like I can take on tomorrow with my typical, quiet sassiness.
These blessings may not seem significant to anyone else. Today, to me, they were life-giving.
Oh, how He loves.
*See Casimir Pulaski Day by Sufjan Stevens. Can be found on playlist at the bottom of this page.
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