Sometimes you meet the greatest people in the most unexpected places... This past week I had the pleasure of meeting two! I was on the plane headed home for Thanksgiving and noticed the lady next to me sniffling and coughing. My initial thought was, oh great she's sick and hacking all over the place. When I looked over at her I realized that she wasn't ill but she was wiping away tears my first thought was to talk to her. I didn't want to pry and ask what was wrong but I just hoped to lighten the mood and maybe take her mind off of things for a minute. I stuck up a conversation and just asked if she was going home or visiting friends. I was so unprepared for what she would say next.
She told me that her one and only son had passed away 6 weeks ago and she was flying back to Lexington to meet her brand new granddaughter for the first time. She couldn't quite explain the cornucopia of emotions she was feeling all at once. How can you feel joy and excitement while being utterly devastated at the same time? How can you be so overcome with one emotion while being flooded with another? The crazy thing is, I completely understood what she meant. I remembered feeling that way when my dad died. We shared stories and words of comfort, laughs, tears, and scriptures. She told me that she had been at revival praying for a miracle for her son the night he died.
She was there in service asking God to deliver her son from Satan, to heal his body, to set him free from addiction and make him whole again. She had been home about an hour when she got the call. She shared with me that she asked God if this was the miracle she'd prayed for because it didn't look like what she had asked for. Boy could I relate to that one. I was in a similar situation myself and shared it with her. Here I was sitting on the plane with a perfect stranger telling her the very personal details of the journey God has me on without any hesitations. The amazing thing is, as much as she needed my smile and warmth, I needed her wisdom and strength. I ended up talking with this sweet lady all the way home and we discovered that the lady across from us was her neighbor when she lived in Kentucky. All three of us had moved to different cities in Florida earlier this year. I love how God brings people together at just the right moments... for such a time as this. None of us knew stepping onto that plane that we would need one another but we needed the other's laughter and experience. I will never forget Regina and Leigh (I may be spelling her name all wrong). They were such a blessing and right on time!!
My second meeting was on lunch break at work. I went to Popeyes for lunch with my Advocate after a crazy crazy morning at work. As I was at the counter getting a drink I overheard snippets of a conversation that she was having with a gentleman sitting in the corner. They were talking about God, the Bible, Life, and a few other things. I got to the table and joined in on the conversation. Vanassa asked the gentleman a question and he responded and said, I sleep on the ground. I'm homeless but God is still good and I still have joy and a smile on my face. This gentleman began to share the word of God with us and anyone who was within range. He boldly declared his faith and shared his love of food and cooking for others. His smile was radiant, warm, infectious and so full of love. He hadid a joy that ran so deep and bubbled up overflowed. He is a beautiful soul. His name is Forrest. I was so encouraged and uplifted just by seeing him, hearing his joy and love for God that I left that Popeyes full in the natural and the spirit. I can't wait to see my new friend again soon!
We never know who we will encounter or how God will bless us with what we need but just trust and believe that He always will. I am beyond honored to have spent my time in the presence of these very precious people and I just pray that someone somewhere feels the same when they walk away from me. Lord let your presence in me cause a fire to ignite or rekindle when they leave my presence!
