Sweet and Sour

Yesterday was her birthday.  I read it on Facebook.  She had posted that we were birthday buddies.  I hadn't remembered.  We are not friends who see each other much, or talk much, or get together to do stuff.  But she is my friend.....a lovely, gregarious, godly, Christian woman.....and such an encourager.  And so came the desire to encourage her on her birthday.....on our birthday.

My friend Karen

What could I do for her?  I went out to the yard, picked all the alstroemeria I could find that was either blooming or about to bloom, and came in to make a simple arrangement in a recycled jar.  To finish it off, I found a lovely, sheer, yellow ribbon that reminded me of my friend.  It brought to mind her sunny disposition and the warmth that I would always feel coming from her eyes and her smile whenever she would greet me.  Her love is like a nice warm hug.

The yellow ribbon prompted me to add a bit more to my simple display.  I found the soft foliage of dwarf heavenly bamboo which added bits of yellow, salmon and green.  I added to that, red Pentas with their starry clusters and also the round fuzzy blossoms of Sea Pink.  To set it off, I added a stem of two bright yellow Day Lilies.  These blooms would last only a day, but they packed a pretty punch.

My bouquet was ready to deliver.....and it was beautiful, sunny and full of joy.....like my friend.   And then, as I looked out to my backyard, the lemon tree caught my attention.  More bright yellow cheeriness.  What if I brought my friend some lemons?  Would that be silly on her birthday?  I reasoned that most everyone likes lemons, so I went out to pick a few.

"When life give you lemons, make lemonade," ran through my head as I walked out to my tree.  Seemed like an odd message for a birthday girl, or so I thought.  I asked God if he might take my silly gift of lemons and somehow use it to reach my friend's heart.  With simple thoughts, I asked the LORD to use the promptings of my heart in ways beyond which I could orchestrate.

Birthday Buddies!

At the end of the school day, I went with gifts in hand to surprise my friend in her classroom.  Through her eyes,  her smile, and her arms, I received the sunny warm hug that I have come to expect.  But I received so much more.  My friend then shared that my gift meant so very much.....much more than I could imagine.  She shared with me that her birthday had started on a sour note.

Because her heart was breaking, she didn't want to go to work.  She had wanted to get alone with God and cry.  But faithfully she went.....with the LORD by her side.  Through inner dialogue, she conversed with the Lover of her soul, the One who gives us worth, the One who walks through the valleys by our side.  And He was there.  With her.  He met her.  In big and small ways He comforted her, because he can, because our Savior experienced the sweet and sour of life too.....for us.

My friend and I spent the good part of an hour sharing our hearts, telling our stories and praising the LORD for the things he had done....for us.  We reminded one another that in the sweet and the sour experiences of life, our God is always making something good.....in us, and through us, and for us!

Thank you Abba Father for blessings
that come to us in packages both sweet and sour!