When You Least Expect It.....Expect It

We have had a decent weekend. I have not been able to stay at night and that seems to be the time when Tim needs me the most. He sleeps face down (called proning) and because of the wires that were used in his initial injury to fuse his spinal cord together, his head doesn't turn to the side very easily. By the time I am here his face is swollen, he is exausted and my heart breaks. He is tough...no doubt. He simply says, "Darling, I gotta do what I gotta do." He is my hero.

Yesterday morning I decided to do damage control from my initial 72 hours as an exhausted, terrified, detail oriented (where Tim's care is concerned), wife with 20 years of healthcare experience. I am sure you can all imagine. We had to iron some things out in the first two days that gave me a very familiar name at shift report...lol. SOOOOOO-I know the way to the nurses hearts...I stopped at Publix to bring donuts and Christmas cookies as a peace offering. It worked ;) It was there, in the checkout line that I met Mobwan. Yes..Mobwan.

Sleepy eyed I checked out as the middle eastern man in his mid thirties bagged my items, and with a heavy accent said, "How are ju today, Ma'am? You look berry tired." I smiled and thanked him for asking and validated his observation with the purpose for my stay here. He showed me true concern, and proceded to tell me of his brother who several years earlier had a fall in the yard, was cleared with a clean bill of health, and two weeks later woke up completely paralyzed and died. Wow. How do you respond to that? I gave him my compassion as best I could and listened. And then...the words I never (for some reason) expected to hear. His voice radiated and drew the attention from the people in lines all around. His managers even stood with jaws dropped. He looked me in the eye and said in a happy boistrous voice, "Ju tell your husband dat God is da fadda! (you tell your husband that God is the father). He had his life planned out before he was ever born! God is our daddy, He makes no mistakes! If your husband was blind and not paralyzed, he could not see his beautiful wife and childrens! He could not see all of da beauty around heem! Ju tell your husband...God has a purpose for him here...and he has one for you too!"

Um. Yeah. I wish I could do his five minute message from God justice, but there is no way. Donut run turned evangelism outreach in the checkout isle at Publix with the Middle Eastern man bringin da word! Smile pasted on my face, I hugged him and thanked him. Thank God for the boldness of Mobwan. Reminding me to be so bold for God's love for us.

And so another encounter to draw me closer to Him.