Best Surprise Ever

In my previous post, I mentioned having an anxious heart, “until I got my big surprise the last day of our yard sale”. 

After lunch on Saturday, customers were coming in rather slowly. Likely because of the extreme heat. We had a tent set up for the cashiers (which was just me at the time). Britt came and went either chatting with customers or finding things to keep himself busy…he can’t just sit. 

Laura, Lexi and Price Sparkman

Me and Laura (Britt was making us laugh)
We went into town for dinner so we could catch-up.

Sitting with my back to the driveway, I all of a sudden heard my name. So I turned around to see a lady, her husband and 3-year-old daughter walking toward me. It was my dear friend Laura. But my mind was so confused. Laura was like a roommate in college. She had another room, but only slept there. She pretty much lived in our room. I mean, our room rather rocked (not literally…was at PCC…so literal “rocking” was taboo). Anyway, all five of us got together at Myrtle Beach in September of 2010. Back then Laura lived in Virginia. And that is still where my brain had her living. However, her family has moved back to the south side of Indy in the past few months…it just took me a minute to let that register. So Laura walking up to my yard sale in the middle of the day in the middle of nowhere sent my mind in to overdrive. OH MY WORD! She said she was afraid I was going to move to Guatemala and didn’t want to miss saying “goodbye”. Knowing we were having the sale and we would be home, they just drove the 4 hours (should have been 3) up. It still makes me teary when I remember seeing her. 

Who does that? 

Laura does. 

And I lover her for it. 

Later that night after I told her how much I loved that she did that, she texted me back, “maybe we can surprise you again one day”.

Meg showing Lexi Winona Lake

The little ones…watching the sunset.

Meg with Lexi. Morgan is holding his leftovers
that he just minutes later accidentally dumps in the water.

attracting the ducks…maybe

Okay, so that wasn’t the only surprise. Around 4:30, you know…30 minutes before closing time for the yard sale…we saw dark clouds looming on the horizon. At first we thought it was haze from the heat. But then it got too dark to just be haze. So the Sparkman’s (Laura & Price), Britt & I, and my girls all started very quickly rushing the unsold items from the yard into our house. This was not the way I pictured closing up shop. I had planned on sorting through between giveaway things, things to keep, and things to just trash. But after it was all done, I believe this was a good thing to get it all in under an hour. Britt’s mom rushed in to help, when she saw what was going on. Angie and her girls were coming to pick up a dresser. So they came and helped too. I was so exhausted and overwhelmed and had so much adrenaline running through me. When the last few items were rushed in, the clouds let loose and we had a huge downpour that lasted a mere 15-20 minutes. But it was all in. And this was good.

I’m convinced that God put it on Laura’s heart to come surprise me and brought that storm right then both to drain my anxious heart and fill it with hope and joy. And to wash away all that sadness and anxiety that had been controlling my heart and mind.