Point in case: I know this sounds silly, but I was praying for someone to help me paint my house. My husband can sand and caulk, but he doesn't have the patience or ability to paint a straight line (and when you are working with a Victorian four color scheme, that matters). I really want to get the front of the house finished before December, and it's a lot of painting for one person.
And lately, painting the exterior of my house seemed to be all I did in my free time, followed by laundry, house cleaning, and more laundry. I prayed for God to provide me with time to write again and to invest in my creativity, which are the things that bring me joy. I was also troubled by the way my work schedule (I'm also a nanny) was hindering me from getting my daughter involved is some things which were of interest to her. My frustration was compounded by guilt.
Then, one day as I was painting, a perfect stranger walked up to me and volunteered to help. I assured her that I could not pay for her time. She said she wasn't worried about that. She just loved to paint and it looked like I could use some help. She didn't seem sketchy or to have any ulterior motives, and so I gladly accepted! Last Monday she arrived and spent most of the day outside with me painting, and left with the promise to come again! All I can say is Thank You God! Maybe it will be done by December after all!
And a woman at church whom I greatly admire has come alongside me in homeschooling my daughter and has been such an incredible blessing! In addition to all she already does for us, she is now running Elizabeth to her drama classes in the evenings when I can't get home in time to get her there. So grateful!
And as a bonus, God impressed upon my husband's heart that every barn needs a barn cat. Ok, I admit it, I actually brought home four barn cats from the Animal Shelter, but they really needed a home and now Ben won't have to worry about rodents getting into his tools. :) You know, when I was a little girl and I told my mom that I was going to have eight cats when I grew up, she was sure that it was just a phase and I would grow out of it.
Apparently not, since I just turned forty... Lucky Ben!