~SILVER WRAPPINGS...FROSTY BLUE RIBBON...and PROMISES~

No matter how hard I try I always seem to leave something off of my shopping list! Now, this is extremely irritating to me because there is nothing I detest more than wasting my time running to and from any given store more than once in a day (unless of course you bring up the subject of burning up money on wasted gasoline)! So, when I discovered I had forgotten to purchase my favorite hosiery while at the department store I'd been at earlier in the morning I found myself more irritated than usual. It was 11:00pm Saturday night and I was already making plans to crawl into bed when I realized I had no other choice than to purchase a pair of nylons at our local drug store.

Truthfully, I wanted to ask my hubby to just go and get them for me (he's actually good about stuff like that!). But, since it had been years since I bought a pair of "Leggs", I was clueless as to what I should even have him buy! Because of the late night hour my Mr. AGPMan offered to drive me and so off we went to our local Walgreen's.

As we walked towards the store my hubby eyed a pretty box sitting on top of the trash can just to the right of the double doorway. We stopped for a second to take a closer look at the package sitting in front of us.

"What is it?" I said!

"I have no idea!" my guy replied!

I stepped closer to towards the box a tad bit fearful it might explode or something...it was then I noticed a little note peeking out from underneath the frosty blue bow. It said:

"OMGtoyou! Our Mother's Day Gift To You! If you're a Mother, Happy Mother's Day! If you're not give this gift to a Mother dear to you."

"WHAT IS THIS?" I said again!

"I just told you I DON'T KNOW!" my hubby again replied (this time a tiny bit excited!).

"Well, I'm gonna pick it up and see!" I said!

Being just a tad bit anxious (and secretly afraid it all might just be some gag...or a bug...or a snake...) I handed the box to my man to open. Carefully he removed the wrappings, crumbling them within his hands as he began to lift the top off of what we then saw was a personalized gift box. In absolute amazement he pulled from within it's hiding place a tiny creamy colored bag imprinted with the name of a local, high-end jewelry store. It simply said "BC Clark JEWELERS".

Now, BC Clark is the premier jewelry store here in Oklahoma City. It's been around over 100 years and is still family owned. Every year at Christmastime you can hear their familiar "jingle" played on both the radio and in TV commercials. The business is greatly loved by Oklahomans as they give back to our community each and every year. They have a brilliant PR Firm with a successful campaign called "PRAY FOR RAIN"...if an engaged couple purchases a wedding ring set and it rains a measurable amount on their wedding day, the purchased rings are free... Pretty neat, huh?

OK...back to my story! The excitement is growing as a small crowd gathers around us.

"WHAT IS IT? WHAT IS IN THE BOX?" I call out! "WHAT ISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS IT?"

A noticeable gasp can be heard from the people standing around us as my hubby spills out from within the bag two gorgeous 18K pearl drop earrings accented with delicate diamonds...

"WHAT? You are kidding me? WHAT?"

I quickly reach for the earrings that are sparkling in front of me...

"It's a real deal!" my hubby says! "It's REAL! It's a REAL DEAL!"

I'm speechless! Frozen in place, I stand there for a few seconds holding the box, it's trimmings and it's treasure within my hands... Then I whisper...

"Can this be real?" Can I keep the earrings? Are they truly for ME?"

There is much to be said about being in the right place at the right time, I suppose. Still, as my guy and I drove home I couldn't escape the notion that God had been in the midst of the excitement and somehow had His hand in this unexpected blessing. The thought kept at me well into the night and I struggled to find sleep. I was exhausted from turning back and fro...as well as from thinking too much. When a moment of clarity came I realized something that had momentarily slipped my mind. I don't, and never have, believed in coincidence. I believe my steps are orchestrated by the Most High and He alone instills within me the paths I ultimately choose to take...

A few years ago I sadly lost over $950 when I accidentally dropped a bank bag full of the day's receipts from a business I once owned. I was devastated as my family and I needed the money in a terrible way. Crushed by the loss of the income and the affect it would have on my young children and their Christmas, my hubby reminded me it was 'just cash' (yeah, right!) and that we would survive. I remember well how I tossed in my bed that night as well... tormented by my carelessness and loss. I wept until the early morning dawn...it was then I heard the spirit of the Lord speak to me and I knew in my heart that one day my loss would be restored.

Joy came to me the following morning and with praise upon my lips I began a new day! My God is a faithful God. He is in every detail. He promised me in His word He would repay me for the years the locusts had eaten (Joel 2:25) and I knew that someday, in His time, He would keep that promise. Finding the earrings right outside the door of a business similar to the place where I dropped my money bag isn't lost on me and I now consider myself to be repaid in full.

I haven't decided just what I'm going to do with the earrings. I may gift them to my aging mother or save them for the day my own daughter becomes a mother...I'm not sure. For now I'm content to know they came from heaven, albeit by way of BC Clark Jewelers. I can't help but stare at them while carefully turning them over within my hands as if they are priceless treasure. To me they are. Evidence again that "The Lord is good and His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations. (Psalm 100:5) KJB

Oh...about the hosiery (nylons)...I forgot them!

Blessings to you as you put your faith and trust in the One who can make everything right...Rebecca