Sabbatical Day 62

Wow. It has been quite a journey since my last post. I certainly wish I could sit with each person to share a meal, conversation and connection so I could bring to you the experience I am having. But more importantly, I long to communicate that I believe God has a journey, a plan uniquely for you and Him. It is an intimate place of union where your heart melts into His. Your love story with the Savior is being written each day. He writes His story on your mind, your heart, your soul, your face, your hands, your feet...everything within you cries our for the adventure of this eternal love story. Oh please my dear friends, enter into this story. Don't let it pass you by. I did. With regret over lost time yet mixed with eternal hope, I know my future will not look the same as my past. No...it is redeemed and set aside...holy for Him.

With that said, where do I begin? Well let me go to the beginning of a two week rendezvous and adventure I had with the Lord. On February 15, I set out on a trip to Springfield MO to see our kids Josh and Amy. The rest of the family was in Nicaragua on a missions trip and I had been home alone for a couple of days prior to my departure. It was a roadtrip for which I was deeply looking forward. I had planned to leave that morning, taking my time to antique along the way. Packed and with Ipod in hand, I set out around 10:00 that morning. I was singing tunes, rocking and jiving as much as this white girl can. :) It was pure and simple fun.

As a side note, you must know that I did have a treasure in mind. It is one that I have been hunting for over ten years. In an earlier post, I spoke of Cleatice, my neighbor who was in many ways like a grandmother to me. In the post I spoke of her iced tea. The brown tea pitcher she used was etched in my memory. So I was on an adventure to find the tea pitcher.

So back on the road, I stopped at the first open antique shop along the highway that I could find. Walking into the shop was like walking into the past. It was so full of furniture and treasures of the past that I wasn't sure I could even begin to have the time for this search. Two or three minutes after I entered, the shop owner came in. She was a friendly woman whom I could tell was a hard worker. She knew the store and every piece she had crammed into the smallest of space. She asked what I was looking for. As I described the pitcher she walked around looking over the store. While visiting she picked up the pitcher and said, "Is it anything like this one?" My mouth flew open. It was all I could do to keep the tears from welling over my eyes and down my cheeks. She seemed to understand. She commented, "Isn't it fun to find something that brings back special memories." We talked about tea....the way it used to be made. Ingredients were well water, boiled loose tea, plenty of sugar, steeped and poured over the tiny ice cubes that seemed to have their own flavor and smell because of the old refrigerators.

Needless to say, I was overwhelmed in the kindness of my Lord. He knew where our tea pitcher was and He made sure I found it.

Continuing on I asked the shop owner if she knew of any small town diners with home cooking. She directed me to Stewards in Asbury MO. Well it is definitely small town....there couldn't be more that 500 in the town. I walked into the tiny diner, the kind where the bell dings as you go through the door. Now I have to tell you that it was just like going home. The diner had 5 tables total. Two tables had dirty dishes, two other tables had customers. As I walked through the door, ten eyes stared and 5 mouths hung open. Unless you are from a small town, you just can't appreciate this scene. I wanted to laugh out loud and say "You don't see strangers around here much, do you." I kept my mouth shut. Finally to break the silence, I asked the waitress if I could sit at the table in the corner. She nodded and ran for the kitchen.

In a moment another waitress welcomed me with a menu, silverware and asked what I would like to drink. Of course they had sweet tea. So we were off to a great start. If you have been with me you know I love pork tenderloin sandwiches, which are relatively hard to find in restaurantes. You guessed it...they had it on the menu. Along with the sandwich came homemade potato salad....Oh my gosh, you would have thought I had died and gone to heaven. But wait there is more. As I enjoyed my sandwich, potato salad and sweet tea, I eyed the pies on the counter. I asked the waitress if by chance they had coconut meringue pie. Yep...one piece left. I threw all caution and calorie counting to the wind. I knew definitely I was in heaven by this time.

I visited with the waitress and found out she was from Mulvane KS. She was a hometown girl, her name was Kathy and we knew many of the same stomping grounds. Finally finishing off the pie, I sat back in food coma contentment and realized I still had an hour and a half of driving to go. I told Kathy I hoped I didn't fall asleep driving. In nothing flat she sent me on my way with a huge cup of coffee on the house.

Now you may be wondering what all this has to do with my journey with God. Well it is like this. I had asked Him for this time. It was our date. He gave me everything I asked for. Even at this moment as I remember back on that day, I feel His love and pleasure. I don't just know about His love....I have experienced it. Could He love us in such an intimate way...providing the very moments we ask for? All I know is He did for me. I am still amazed. Down in the depth of my being, I know Papa loves His girl because He cares about the little things I care about. That's my Papa.

Psalm 139:13-18 says, "For you created me my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful. I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand."

That day to Springfield was ordained and planned. He knows me so well that He put together the day in such a way that shouted, "I LOVE YOU CATHY TURNER." It was my date with my Papa.

Today is no different. Oh Papa open our eyes to your plan for us just for today. Help us to see your love letters that you drop into our hearts. May we hear you whisper to us in our own love language, "I love you my child."

Papa, we love you.
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