Bald Is Beautiful?

There are certain issues I'm able to ignore until they quietly go away.  Brake problems aren't one of them.  I'd known for awhile they were needing attention, but kept putting off getting them fixed.  I finally broke down and decided to use the last of our tax return, even though there were other pressing needs.
On Tuesday afternoon, my sister gave me a ride to pick up my car from the mechanic.  I was confused when she took a different route, but she explained she needed to run an errand for my brother-in-law.  A few minutes later, she pulled into a tire service.  I immediately spied my car sitting on the parking lot...sporting four new tires!!!  It seems someone had noticed that my front tires were completely bald, and the back ones weren't pretty either (one of those issues I'd been waiting to magically go away).  Our church family had graciously given towards this extraordinary surprise.  My nephew Caden was with us, so I assured him I wouldn't cry in front of him, but a lump rose in my throat.  I can't adequately express how it feels to be the recipient of blessing after blessing after blessing.
Later that afternoon, I grabbed Jason and his favorite cd so we could go for a drive.  I walked him around the outside of the car, and explained about another weight being lifted from my shoulders.  He was immensely grateful as well.  When Eli got off the school bus, I asked him if he could see something different about the car. I was surprised he didn't guess right away, since a lovely new tire scent still lingered.  Once again, I told the story of how our family had been shown such love and kindness.  We are exceedingly thankful.
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope..."  (Romans 15:13)

Abundant Joy

God continues to abundantly provide for the needs of our family through the kindness of others.  This past week, we received an extremely touching gift from a dear friend at church.  She has consistently been an encouragement to us over the past several years.  We are so grateful for her unwavering support.

On Friday, my sister gave me an envelope with strict instructions not to open it until Easter.  She seemed to be implying I lack self control in such matters, ha.  Luckily, I'm a chronic night owl, so ripped it open at 12:01am.  Inside I found an Easter card where someone had written, "You are a blessing to so many people, may those blessings be returned to you ten-fold."  The envelope also contained a generous gift to our family.  Although I have repeatedly harassed my sister, she refuses to disclose the origin of this blessing.  Anonymous gifts are difficult for me since I'm unable to squeeze the amazing people who send them (hmm, maybe that's why they wish to remain anonymous?).  Our family is exceedingly grateful to you, whoever you are.

Through many frustrating phone calls and mountains of paperwork, I believe we have taken the necessary steps to resolve our issues with Jason's benefits/insurance.  For some reason, this review process has been incredibly difficult every year.  This year was especially stressful since it had such a negative impact on our monthly budget.  I can only pray that it will be easier in the future, and that I don't allow myself to give over to worry before knowing the final outcome.

“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” 

― Corrie ten Boom