Being a Blessing

 As I was reading the daily devotion from Joyce Meyer's book Trusting God Day by Day, it was evening.  Not the time I wanted to be reading daily devotions because my plan has always been to start the day with Joyce and then read the daily from Jesus Calling.  But my schedule has been off lately, and I think there was a reason for it yesterday.  

Her challenge yesterday was to be a blessing to someone.  To listen for God's leading to do just that.  Now how was I going to do that at 8:00 in the evening when the day was already over?

Then I thought about it a little more---reflecting on the activities of the day.

Gary and I left the house at 10:00 Monday morning.  We stopped at Stone House for breakfast - the Breakfast Scrambler for him.  Biscuits and gravy for me.  I know...not the usual Four Cheese Omelette with cinnamon toast.  While we were sitting there, we talked about his desire to see Mount Rushmore and decided to plan a trip there in May.  Just Mt Rushmore and the Badlands.  

We drove to Medaryville next and cashed in the savings bonds he had found in the hutch last week.  They had been gifts from Ann and Bud and my grandmother when I graduated from Purdue with my master's degree in 1977.  They had collected interest and matured so it was time to cash them in.  Also I had a purpose for the money---paying for the plane tickets for our Girls Trip to Waco in June.  While in the bank, we visited a little with Nema and Becca, then Gary chatted with Karen for a few minutes (her door was closed).

Our next stop was Hebron to pick up our taxes.  Lynn has been doing our taxes for many years and took care of the farm accounts before that.  It makes sense to pay his office to complete our tax returns each year.  I know *I* don't want to do them!  Driving to Hebron took us through LaCrosse and Kouts, so there was discussion of past trips in that area, riding team buses to games, and my falling in the parking lot on ice after the girls had played a game in the old Hebron gym. We also laugh now about going to Hebron a couple of years ago and actually standing in DeMotte, wondering where Lynn's office was.  Gary even called the office which is when we realized we were in the wrong town!  I am sure the office girls had a big laugh about that!

Continuing to travel north, our next destination was Bass Pro Shop at Portage.  There are only two such shops in the state and this one has been the closer for us.  We usually stop at the location near Gatlinburg in December, but our trips to the Portage location are few, and ever fewer now that we have moved further south!  I like the clothes there...odd, I know ,but I do.  Imagine this conversation "Hey, Beth!  Cute shirt!  Where did you get that?"  "Oh one of my many purchases at Bass Pro Shop.  That is where I buy most of my clothes!"  But seriously, I do like their clothes and the way they fit me.  Gary does too.  

After our purchases at Bass Pro, we stopped for lunch at Longhorn, which has been part of our tradition.  Even though Gary's steak was a little tough, we enjoyed a casual, unrushed lunch in a safe environment.  It was good.  And I had missed the salad I usually get there---grilled chicken and fruit (grapes, strawberries, mandarin oranges), bleu cheese crumbles, and pecans on the greens.  

The final stop was at Target in Valpo.  I don't think we have shopped in Valpo since we moved.  We used to make trips there at least once a month, especially since we liked the Kohls and Target, plus there was a nice JC Penney store at the plaza off of 49.  After noticing that the shower curtain in the downstairs bathroom was...old..., I ordered a couple of new ones from Amazon and decided to switch up that towels and decor in there.  Even though I didn't find the exact color I wanted, what I did find will work and I am excited to clean the bathroom well and re-decorate it on Wednesday (expected delivery date from Amazon!).   Of course we found many other items we needed --- a new pillow for Gary.  Easter eggs so Elijah had his own on Sunday.  Easter candy.  A few items for the kids from the dollar spot.  Bananas for Gary and Trop 50 for me. Toilet paper in case there is another shortage.  Bandaids and vaseline for Gary's legs.  Birthday and Easter cards to send.

As we were driving around, remembering past times when we had played basketball in Valpo or bought a new mattress or made a yearly Christmas shopping trip through the area to Merrillville or stopped at Albanese for candy....Gary mentioned how much he was enjoying the day.  We were driving the red Escape which we don't use very often.  Why put the miles on our new-to-us car just to run errands in Lafayette, run into Delphi, or drive to see the girls?  We had two things to do---cash in the bonds and pick up the taxes.  After that the day was ours.  We had no time to be home.  Blaine was off so he was picking up Owen.  Landon was back from his trip and school was in session again after Spring Break so they would be doing the chores. It was a beautiful spring day, full of sunshine and warmer temperatures.  We knew where we were going so there was no unexplored territory or need for intricate directions. I was wrong when I said that Gary just mentioned that he was enjoying the day.  He said it several times...he was really enjoying the day.

When I thought about it, he hasn't been feeling well with the issues with blisters and bleeding and skin peeling.  But he is healing now and feeling better than he was.  He spent several days watching Landon and Owen so that Hilary and I could go to Gatlinburg.  She needed a break and he encouraged us to take us on a Girls Trip so that she could rest and rejuvenate.  He felt like I needed that time also (which I did).  He watched Lynnlee and Cooper while we were gone also.  He has been helping Blaine build a new lot for the goats.  He has been helping with cleaning the pens and re-arranging the barn.  The flag pole is up again after being blown over a second time and losing part of the original post.  He has been filling bird feeders, sweeping off the deck, He needed some time to relax too.

We needed some time to just be together without interruptions, without children (even though we love them and enjoy having them at our house), without other obligations.

And that is when I realized that all day, I had been a blessing---to my husband and to myself.

Isn't that what God intended for us to do yesterday?

I think it was.