I could have missed this...

There is so much about today that did not go the way I planned. But there are so many blessings I would have missed if the day had gone according to my schedule. 

I couldn't sleep last night so my 7:30 am alarm got moved to 8:30 at 3:15am. It wouldn't give me enough leeway for alone time with Jesus before heading out the door, but since my destination was a prayer breakfast I figured it would work out. 

Breakfast and time with the ladies was wonderful. I left there intending to drop off some books at the mission store, come home and clean bathrooms and do a few other housekeeping chores before my company comes tomorrow. Then I was going to go watch my KCU Women's Soccer team for a couple of hours and end my day with a trip to the grocery store to get what I needed to feed my company. 

I wore one of my favorite masks to the breakfast. I stuck it in my pocket when I left, knowing I would need it at the mission store. When I got there I couldn't find it. Not in any of the six pockets I checked. Numerous times. Frustrated, I grabbed a different one, took care of my business and drove back to church to hunt for my missing mask. It was nowhere to be found. Not in the parking lot. Not around the chair I'd sat in. Not in the kitchen. Not in the bathroom or anywhere in between. It is red. It should have been easy to spot. My thought was someone must have picked it up. I was hoping they'd take it home, wash it and enjoy it as much as I do.

I walked outside and decided to check all of my pockets one more time, hoping against hope I'd missed it. I found it. In the first pocket I stuck my hand into. It had scrunched up and was tucked in the top of the pocket. I still don't know how I didn't feel it there. I shook my head as I walked to my car. A friend was in her truck and rolled down the window and asked if I'd forgotten to go home. I smiled and shared the story of my mask mishap. Turns out I'm not the only one who does things like that. I think we both needed to know we aren't alone. Blessing one.

Spur of the moment decision as I headed home led me to go grocery shopping before all of the other things I was planning to do. It took a little longer than I expected so I was running late to see my girls. Their schedule had been adjusted, so I was 20 minutes early! Blessing two.

When we finished I decided to walk. That was not on my list but the day was so beautiful it was the most natural thing to do. My plan was to get in 30 minutes then head home to "get'r done". I made my first turn and saw a friend who'd planned to come see me this week and it didn't work out. She was walking too. We spent almost almost an hour walking and talking. Blessing three.

As I was on the last leg of my walk I met another friend and finished what turned out to be 78 minutes of walking chatting with her. Blessings four and five.

By this time I was hungry. I have been craving DQ's $6 double cheeseburger meal for weeks. Since I'd gotten in extra exercise I chose to indulge. Blessing six. On my way home I remembered our homework assignment from small group last week was to have a "date night" with God. Blessing seven. Grayson Lake seemed more like a date destination than sitting on my back porch fighting off two dogs while I ate. I went planning to rest on a bench, look at the water and listen for God to speak. It was beautiful, but chilly, and I wasn't dressed for sitting in the shade so I ate my burger and fries outside and enjoyed my hot fudge sundae in the car. Blessing eight.

As I was leaving the Park I noticed the sun was shining below the dam and I felt pulled to go see if my favorite bench down there was in the sun. I wasn't quite ready for date night to end. It was! But there was a family enjoying it. Blessing nine. Why? Because as I was driving up the hill to exit the park I saw the observation tower. A tower I've often wanted to stop at, but have never been brave enough to. This evening I was. When I got to the bottom of the stairs, I almost chickened out. But I didn't. Blessing ten.

I stood on the deck, facing the sun as it was preparing to say goodnight and serenaded my God with How Great Thou Art, Amazing Grace, Jesus Loves Me and a few other songs. Blessing eleven. 

It felt as if the sun was Him, gently kissing my face. Blessing twelve. I could hear Him whisper, "Stand here, before me and let me shower you with my love." So I did. Blessing thirteen. 

 

I watched as the sun fell lower and lower, closer and closer to the treetops on the ridge across the valley. Blessing fourteen. 

 

When it was almost ready to dip down below them a car pulled into the lot. I reluctantly descended the steps, I wasn't done watching but I didn't want to be up there by myself with someone that close. Blessing fifteen. Why? A young couple got out of the car. They too were there for the sunset and I don't think they would have climbed the tower if I'd stayed up there. Watching them walk together, listening to them enjoy it as much as I was and feeling like they respected my privacy was blessing sixteen. 

They didn't stay on the platform long. We couldn't see the sun, but colors from its effect on the atmosphere were softly unfolding as they passed me. "It's beautiful isn't it," he spoke as they passed me on the way to their car. I agreed. To share the wonder with strangers was blessing seventeen. 

We lingered. They were in their vehicle and I was standing in the grass, but we were "together", unwilling to miss a minute of the wonder unfolding before us. I climbed the stairs again, to get a last look. Blessing eighteen. To know that if the day had gone my way I would have missed all of this was blessing nineteen. 

I started my car and the song on the radio was Never Been a Moment (Micah Tyler) "there's never been a moment I was not loved by You..." Tears began to roll down my cheeks. It was followed by Cornerstone (Hillsong Live), Next to Me (Jordon Feliz), and my drive ended with Keep Me in the Moment (Jeremy Camp). Blessings 20, 21, 22, 23 being serenaded by God through four very different musicians. 

*The blessings I numbered are the blessings I'd have missed if things had gone "my" way. The breakfast was definitely a blessing as were many other things I didn't include in the count.