Sarah's Windy Day

It was March 1^st, and true to its lion fame, a windy day again, gusting up to 40 mph.  My wife had a couple errands to run during her lunch break.  She made a stop at the bank to cash a couple of checks for her mother, then in preparation for some guests coming to our home, she made her way to one of the local stores to purchase a couple of new pillows.  Walking across the parking lot with a cart full of pillows, a sudden gust of wind blew the cart over.  Now that was bad enough, but what happened next has played over and over in her mind.  Her little purse went flying and exploded upon impact.  Have you ever picked one of those little dandelions and blown the tiny, floating seeds?  Yep, that is what it looked like…money flying everywhere.  There was just under $300 one moment, and none the next.  A nice couple who had seen what happened, immediately came to help.  Across the large parking lot, across a vacant lot, across three lanes of the highway, across another parking lot, and finally in and around the back yard of a funeral home, much of the money was recovered, with $80 still missing.  She called me in to continue the search.  I walked the area for another half hour, covering another two blocks along the path of the wind, only to find one of my business cards…really?

    

A couple days later one of the ladies from the church was out walking and decided to walk in that area…and found a $20 bill – and returned it.  About a week later we received a call from a lady who had found our tithe check while cleaning her gutter, another two blocks further beyond where I had searched.  Then last evening at church a young dad approached my wife and handed her a dollar bill he had found in his yard, then he smiled, reached into his pocket and handed her a $20 bill.  He told her he had shared with his neighbor what had happened, and this good neighbor felt sorry for her and wanted to just donate to help in her loss. 

Last night I was leading a class in discussion on prayer.  We listed various elements in prayer, then prayed.  One of those elements of prayer is to take a look around at the things you can be thankful for, and give thanks to God.  I was thinking…while this big wind caused a calamity for my wife, it also revealed to us something else.  Contrary to much of the news you hear today on how bad people are, and how bad things in the world are…there really is some good out there!  I think of the kind, older couple who stepped out of their vehicle to offer assistance to a frantic lady with money blowin’ in the wind.  I think of the close relationships we have in the church with people who will go out of their way offer a helping hand.  I think of a lady cleaning her gutters and taking time to call.  I think of the generous spirit of a neighbor was moved to help a person he did not know.  You know…we all need to be alert, to keep watch…there are good people all around us with good hearts.  We have expressed our thankfulness to these wonderful people, and it also sounds like a great time thank God for the good in people.  Don’t let all the bad news rob you of the joy of seeing the good that is all around you.  Have a great, and blessed day in the Lord!