The Miracle of Juliana

Juliana's birthday was a couple of days ago.  I decided that I would write each of my children's birth stories for their birthday.  Since we were so bad at remembering birthdays growing up, we decided to make it a family tradition to celebrate our birthdays for three days!!  We're on day 3 today, so it's still her birthday!!  We're celebrating with grandparents, Auntie Ishara and Uncle Rich!  Hooray!

All of our biological children have been born 9-10 days before their due date.  It was ten days before Juliana's due date, and I had nothing more than deep Braxton Hicks.  I decided it was safe to go to the Special Olympics for the day with my children, my dear friend, and her children.

One of her children was disabled, and I did not want to miss this special day with him either.  I simply did NOT have time to have a baby yet because I wanted my children to FEEL the beauty of this special day.  While we were there, real labor began!  Since my friend was a mid-wife, I knew I was in safe hands!

Heavy contractions came every 10 minutes as we watched the children dance, run, eat cotton candy, and get paint sprayed in their hair.  During each contraction, I put my finger up to stop all conversations, bent over, and breathed deeply.  I still wasn't worried because this thought kept coming to me that baby Juliana was going to come when I was ready.

By the time we arrived home that evening after the festivities, I was still having frequent, heavy contractions.  Abe was working the night shift, and I still had some projects I needed to finish before I could have the baby.  There were a few drawers in my bathroom that were highly disorganized and had make-up spilled all over them.

I put the children to bed and dumped all the drawers out.  I cleaned off every item in the drawers and put everything in its place.  It took me a couple of hours of sitting cross legged on the hard floor while the contractions continued.   Still... about every 10 minutes I flopped over sideways and gripped onto something while the contractions dug through my insides.  Then,after the minute or two of each grinding contraction, I promptly continued my work as if nothing had happened.

I felt strangely calm about everything- like God was in charge but allowing me to do things in my time.

Abe came home from work and encouraged me to go to bed, but I was in the middle of my project and couldn't sleep (or have the baby) until I finished.  Right at the moment when I had finished my drawers-my final project- the contractions intensified and came more frequently... about 6 minutes apart. I woke up Abe and told him I was ready to go to the hospital.

He raced me to Utah Valley Hospital in Provo, UT and checked me into my room.

Abe gave me a Priesthood blessing and promptly fell asleep on the chair beside my bed.  I didn't mind that he slept because everything felt so peaceful.

I laid in bed for a couple of hours pondering on the pending birth of my baby girl.  I couldn't wait to meet her.  I knew she would be a very special child because I could feel overwhelming peace through the entire process.

After my time of pondering, I woke Abe up and said, "Honey, the baby's coming soon; I think I'll get an epidural now."

He thought I was kidding because I was so calm, so he went back to sleep.  I got the epidural; and less than an hour later, I woke Abe up again just before the doctor came in.  I gave 1 1/2 pushes, and baby Juliana came out! It was really that quick and easy!

The doctor literally looked around the room, kind of threw up his hands and said, "Well, that was easy.  I guess I'll go home.  My wife has a honey-do list for me!"

It was all so absolutely perfect.  She was absolutely perfect.  Juliana snuggled up on my chest as I gently hugged every bit of her tiny little body.  It was so hard to put her down, so I held her day and night.

We named her Juliana Rain.  She received her first name in honor of my sister- Julie Ann- who is the epitome of everything beautiful... just as our beautiful Juliana is.  Her middle name, Rain, was also a perfect name for Juliana's sweet influence on my soul.  As I held her, I could feel our spirits connect.  Her influence healed my soul and washed away so much of the heart ache that I had endured and harbored in my soul... just as a fresh rainfall would do.

For months, as I snuggled little Juliana's body against mine, the words came very strongly into my mind, "Divine... divine...divine..."  Even now, as I write her story, my little 3 year old Juliana is cuddled against my side kissing my cheek every few minutes.  She could cuddle for hours!!

Juliana is adored by everyone; anytime she cries, our hearts break.  The boys lovingly call her, "Shatter-heart" and rush to her side to assist with her every need.

Juliana continues to soften all our hearts.  She is our little miracle of peace.

I thank God for sending us our little angel at just the right time when her gentle spirit was needed the very most.

What Happens In Vegas...

Last night, I was walking down the Las Vegas Strip alone with just our 2 youngest children.  I held Jayden on my backpack and Juliana walked by my side.   The rest of the family was watching a show where no babies were allowed.  As I walked along, I felt spiritually attacked as I saw WAY more parts of people’s bodies than I ever wanted to see.

I prayed to God asking HIM to show me one of HIS miracles in the midst of all that I was witnessing.  Immediately, I noticed the friendliness of people more than I had before.  I even tried to be patient with the women in thongs and big feathers waving at Juliana.

SEVERAL women and men were scantily dressed waiting for a tip just for the “honor” of looking at their bodies, but the ones who bothered me the most were the scores of men and women passing out business cards with naked women on them. These cards end up all over the street, so it’s VERY difficult to even look on the ground without being accosted by pornography.  (However, the amount of cards on the street is slightly better than it used to be; in years passed, the cards blanketed the sidewalk in a certain section of town.)

Every time I’ve been to Las Vegas, the people who pass out these cards are the ones who make me the angriest. From my understanding, these cards are actually advertising prostitution under the legal premise of it being a “massage.” I try hard to just ignore these people because they make me so mad. In turn, they don’t usually even come near me because I have so many small children hanging on me.  They don’t try to sell anything to the people at that moment- they just hand out the cards hoping people will make the phone call to their “business.”

I was relieved to see a musician on the street playing clean music.  I stopped to listen and tipped him because I appreciated him trying to make an honest living. 

As I stopped to listen to this musician, one of these men who passed out the cards stood kind of close to us and kept waving, smiling, and winking at my little Juliana- he obviously thought she was beautiful.  My first thought towards him was, “At what point does the value of a woman change for you?  She’s adorable to you now but soon you’ll consider her as meat just as you do all these other women.”  I wondered again, “When does that change for you?”  I ignored his gestures at first and wanted him and his scum to leave us alone.  Then he came over and gave her an unopened can of soda. 

Being civil, I told him thank you; and in Spanish, I asked him where that drink was from.  He told me he bought it and wanted to give it to her because she looked thirsty.  Then he leaned down to kiss her on her cheek.  I pulled her away because I certainly was not going to let a stranger kiss my precious daughter… ESPECIALLY not THIS stranger!!

I asked him not to kiss her.  He sincerely apologized explaining that he had children too.  He pulled out his wallet to show me the picture of one of his children.  That disgusted me even more because I thought he should be setting a better example for them.  I reluctantly looked at the picture and felt embarrassed even talking to this man who was advertising such a crass thing- I didn’t want to be associated with “his kind.”

He further explained the reason he couldn’t stop looking at my daughter was because she looked like his wife.  As he showed me a picture of his wife, he began to tremble and to cry right there on the Las Vegas Strip.  His said his wife had died just 6 months ago.  I looked at the picture of his wife.  I couldn’t believe it!  Juliana really did actually look like his wife!  I could see the pain and sincerity in his face.  This man was not trying to get any money from me…. He was a real person with a real story behind why he ended up doing one of the ugliest jobs.  He was trying to find a way to support his family in a foreign country.

I explained to him that he didn’t need to do a job like this.  I told him that his wife’s spirit still lives on and would help him.

 I asked him if he would like to know a better way. 

 

He said he would. 

We had just spent the previous evening with our wonderful friends who live in Las Vegas, and the husband happened to be a Mormon Bishop.  I promised this stranger that our bishop friend would be calling him to help him find a better way to make it in this life.

For a moment, I was slightly embarrassed to be putting the name and phone number of a man advertising sexual massages (prostitution) into my phone, but that embarrassment only lasted a moment because I KNEW that THIS was the miracle God was showing me…

Less than 5 minutes after my prayer to see a miracle, this man showed up by daughter’s side. (By law, these men have to stay FAR away from even appearing as if they are trying to solicit to children.)

God could have helped me to see a miracle in any of the other friendly people walking along the street.  No… God wanted me to know that HE loved and is working in the lives of even the ones who seem to be the most lost.

What a BEAUTIFUL love I felt from our Savior!  We know well the story of the adulterous woman who was about to be stoned to death for her sins.  Christ defended not her sin… but her.  He was criticized for even associating with her; and in John 8:7, he simply stated, “…He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”

I have no idea if this man will change his occupation.  I hope he does, but I have learned that everyone has a story... they are real people with a Heavenly Father and a Savior who love them.   I am not the one to judge a person’s circumstance… I have an opportunity to make better choices in my own life according to my own understanding and pray for forgiveness for my own sins.  I am also more confident in the love that God has for me.  No matter how many mistakes I make, HE is neither giving up on me nor my ability to become more like HIM.

I thank God for opening my eyes to the greater love and charity I still have the opportunity to foster within my own soul.  I thank God for HIS great love for ALL of HIS children.

Nutter Butters

Our family is just finishing up our long trek from Michigan to Las Vegas!!

As we exited the interstate in beautiful Colorado yesterday, there was a couple on the corner with a sign that read, “Need Food and Gas.”  I always like to give whatever food I can scrounge up for people asking.  We were traveling, so we had lots of half-eaten bags of chips, etc.

I immediately dug in our food box to find something that would make them happy.   I grabbed the last of the Nutter Butters.   I LOVE Nutter Butters, and I thought those would be really special.  Then, Abe suggested we give them something more substantial as well.  I grabbed an unopened box of granola bars and handed those up to the man.  I felt good about giving them the food.  With a big smile on his face, the man said excitedly, “Thank you so much!  God bless you!”

Right after we gave him the food, I had giver’s remorse for a moment…

Realizing I had just given away my most favorite treat on our journey, I wondered if the couple would even appreciate the Nutter Butters as much as I would have.  Remember- I LOVE Nutter Butters!  That wafery, peanut buttery goodness that’s not too rich and just sweet enough… mmm so good… perfect-but gone.  Was it ridiculous for me to wish for my Nutter Butters back- and especially if those treats were the only items of food this couple had to eat the whole day?  Absolutely!  …but I began to wonder if this couple’s intentions were real.  Did they REALLY need food and gas?  Did I give up my treats for nothing?

These thoughts came within a few selfish moments after I had been so eager and excited to give my most prized treat.   Abe stopped my selfishness in my tracks with the words, “God will bless you- no matter what- God will bless you.”  It didn’t matter if they did appreciate it!  I felt moved to give it, so I could trust that there must have been a reason.

All of a sudden, I remembered a different Nutter Butter surprise that happened just 9 days previously…

My children and I ran into a hair salon- which was inside a grocery store- to get my hair cut really fast.  Due to my lack of planning, we arrived at lunchtime, and the children were all hungry.   I began to give instructions to the oldest children to stick together and pick out some food in the grocery store to bring back for the younger ones.

Before I could even finish giving my instructions, the hair stylists went to the back room and brought out an unopened box of Nutter Butters for the children to eat!  With big hugs and lots of gratitude, the children ate the entire box of Nutter Butters.  I couldn’t believe this sweet hair stylist was generously feeding my family while I was getting my haircut!

Because of their service, I felt a strong desire to be a better, more loving woman.  When my opportunity arose to serve and give my favorite treat-the last of my own box of Nutter Butters- my spirit remembered and was very willing.

 

…but when my physical- more selfish self- tried to take over for a moment, I forgot charity and love.  I only thought about the wafery, peanut buttery taste that would have satisfied my taste buds in just the right way.

Abe was right… we are ALWAYS blessed by God when we give more and sacrifice selflessly for others. That doesn’t mean that God needed me to give away everything we had, but I received an opportunity to “pay forward” the exact item from 9 days previously.  

Knowing that my spirit was more aware of the best way to serve than my physical body was aware, makes me want to trust my spiritual self so much more…  How often do we second guess our impressions to serve in a unique way or to do something great through acts of service or sacrifice?  When we second guess those spiritual impressions, I believe we miss a lot of sweet opportunities.  Service and sacrifice teach us in the most beautiful way how to become an extension of Christ’s outstretched hand of love. 

The Nutter Butters are but a very small example in my life.   My goodness- they only cost 2-3 dollars, but now they represent so much more to me.  They represent the need to pay attention to my spiritual self and that sacrificing some of my own desires in an effort to serve others is never a waste- no matter what!

 

-because no matter what, God will bless you.

and the Champion is...

For the next 2 weeks we will be traveling as a family 1^st to Las Vegas to celebrate my husband’s parents’ 40^th wedding anniversary, and then to Missouri to be with my family for “Nanny Camp!” 

We have spent the last few days working hard to get everything ready for our big trip.  The kids had new sun glasses that they had paid for with their own money.  They were all very proud of them, and they all knew how good they looked with them on too… yep they’ve been struttin’ their stuff all day.  Jordan (Jo Jo) could hardly even speak when he had his on because he felt so cool, and Tyson is always a ham.

I found a special cloth that is used to clean sun glasses and decided that since they were all obsessed with their new glasses, I would give this cloth as a surprise gift to the champion worker of the day.  I had an idea who I thought the champion would be, but I decided to leave the decision up to my children.  I told them they would each have one vote.   I didn’t want any of them to feel bad knowing who voted for them, so I had them quietly whisper in my ear who they thought was the hardest worker.  The only rules were that they couldn’t vote for Mommy or Daddy, themselves, or the babies. 

Jordan’s vote was the first...

He leaned in and said, “Not me!”

I burst out with laughter because he had gotten into trouble a few times for not staying on task.  In all honesty I thought he was right- which is probably why I laughed so hard.  I told him to re-vote. 

Each child quietly cast their vote.  My mouth dropped open as the votes continued…

I made the announcement of the champion…

The championship of the hardest worker came to an exact tie- each child received exactly one vote from a different child.

My initial reaction was complete shock.  In my mind, it was obvious who was working the hardest; but as I considered the children’s votes, my mind was opened to the real truth of the matter.

They DID all work just as hard as each other- especially for their ages!  I realized that my perspective had been skewed by my expectations.  I had been focusing so much on the many things that WEREN’T getting done... concentrating on the moments when Tyson and Jordan decided to Karate chop each other or when Mariah and Juliana decided to dance around the family room while their bowls of Raisin Bran rained through the air.  With each lost minute, I was noticing the successes of the day less and less...

Amidst the chaotic moments,

Laundry was finished;

Dishes were done;

Floors were swept and mopped;

Rooms were cleaned;

Babies were being cared for and played with by one of their siblings almost the entire time;

Bags were packed, and everyone had eaten and showered.

Abe and I couldn’t have done it all in the allotted time without each of their contributions.

I believe that God planted it in my children’s hearts to teach me and remind me that they were ALL CHAMPIONS in the grueling packing process.  The fact that my children voted for each other touched my heart, but there was something else that touched my heart even deeper. 

It was God’s miraculous way of teaching me…

I had been praying intensely for the last two days to be able to focus on and accentuate only the positive things my children were doing.  In the stress of packing, I was failing miserably at only noticing the good things. 

My heart is deeply touched knowing that Jesus did not chastise or criticize me for failing in my goals.  My Savior, Jesus Christ, taught me how to achieve my goal in such a sweet and gentle way.  HE does everything perfectly, but HE does not look down on me for not having the capability of being perfect like HIM.  My Savior’s perfect love for me is humbling and inspiring.  I’m grateful for my miraculous moment of realization given to me as a gift of encouragement.  As I hold my perspective nearer to Christ’s, I am able to see the championships of each small moment and each small child… even I am a champion  for trying again tomorrow to be more like HIM.

Jo Jo's Flip Flop Miracle

It's a big ordeal to keep all 6 kids in clothes that fit them for each season!!

My boys grow like weeds, and my girls...

...well, when it comes to the girls, I have a problem:  I keep thinking they are my little baby dolls, so I am tempted to buy every cute tutu and hair bow I see.  I have to swallow my pride and remember to budget properly.  We are not wealthy enough for me to buy everything that I fall in love with, so I spend a lot of time comparing prices and telling myself, "No, Rachel.  It's not necessary."

I just returned from the cutest 2nd hand store today and was able to outfit all my children in nice summer clothes and get all the gifts for Juliana's upcoming birthday for a great price.

Last week, I spent about 40 minutes trying on different flip flops on the boys in one store.  I took so long because I wanted them to have the cooler looking flip flops that seemed to last longer, but I was debating whether the price was worth the extra money multiplied by 3 boys.  While we shopped for new flip flops, Jordan's old flip flops actually broke!  As we walked out of the store, he had to scoot his foot on top of his shoe to keep it in one piece.

After leaving the 1st store, I decided to check the 2nd-hand store.  Surprisingly, they were just as expensive as the brand new ones.

Finally, with a prayer in my heart, I decided that I only really needed a pair of flip flops for Jordan (Jo Jo) because his didn't even function!  Buying for the other boys was actually me just being a little bit prideful again.  They would be just fine in what they had, and the extra money really needed to go to other more important things.

On the way home, I noticed a garage sale sign.

I stopped by, and I found 1 pair of brand new flip flops that were just perfect for my Jo Jo.  They only cost 50 CENTS!!

If I had bought the other "cooler" flip flops for my boys, I'm sure we would have found a way to pay for the rest of our bills... but I'm even more positive that because I made a sacrifice on the "coolness factor" God blessed me to find the best deal ever.

I believe God blessed us with a miracle by showing me where the cheaper, more practical flip flops were being sold.  Not only did I save a lot of money, but I also learned how sweet and tender our Heavenly Father is to watch over us and guide us even when we're about to make silly mistakes.

Besides, who needs the "cooler" flip flops when you look this good?  :-)

My Announcement

There is something that I want to do...

I've wanted to do it for a very long time...

My heart and dear people around me have told me to do it for several years now, but I never felt confident enough to even attempt it...

Actually, I don't really feel confident enough right at this moment to move forward on this decision... but I'm moving forward somehow...

...because every time I consider this idea, my heart beats heavier, my hands tremble, and I feel deep emotions well up within me.  From past experience, this is the Spirit confirming a decision that I have made.

Over the last few days, I've gone back and forth between the powerful feelings of the Spirit and the powerful feelings of self doubt.

Although both are powerful, only one is encouraging.  I am fighting the negativity in my mind so that I may give God full reign over my soul and my life.

I'm trying to be brave...

HERE IS MY ANNOUNCEMENT:

I have decided to write a book!

Yes... there... It's in writing...  I can now be held accountable.

... I'm not even sure where to begin or where it will lead me.

I'm praying for God's hand to guide me in this process because it's bigger than anything I feel capable of at this moment.

Last week Mariah said, "Mommy!  I haven't wet my bed for a REALLY long time... It's a MIRACLE!!"

I just smiled at her and said, "Good job."  In my mind, it wasn't really a miracle... she was just getting older and learning how to have better control.

I guess she noticed the look on my face and said, "-but Mommy... it really is a miracle!!!"

I thought about this and realized some things:

Mariah tries so hard to be grown up, and she has been working at this goal for a very long time!

*For her, at her young age of 5 years, this was a big deal.  To try to master this skill on her own, she needed God's help.   Who am I to judge what a miracle is in her life?  

*For me, at my "old" age of 35 years, this is a big deal.  To try to write a book while continuing in my other duties and passions of motherhood, I need God's help.  Who am I to judge what miracles God can produce in my simple life?

I'm taking a step into the dark, but...

I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES!!

Believe in the Goodness of Humanity

I traveled this weekend to Seattle, Washington with baby Jayden to speak at a women's conference on Miracles!!!

I left all the other children in Michigan with Abe.  This was my first time to travel with only one child, and it was quite special to give so much one on one time with my little sweetheart.  (I would like to do that with each of the children.)

The following are the miracles and blessings that touched my heart greatly.  There was a reoccurring theme with each of these marvelous experiences throughout my travels...

BELIEVE IN HUMANITY!!

On my trip, so many people rushed to carry my bags, kindly opened the way for me to enter through large crowds, and selflessly gave me their seats.  Multiple people served so quickly proving that it was in their immediate nature to serve.  Believing in the goodness of humanity of strangers did wonders for my soul.  I have looked at everyone with more of a positive heart than I thought possible.  People are generally really good!!

Reuniting With My Cousin

I have a WONDERFUL distant cousin in Washington who happens to live close to where I was speaking.  We have only met once, and that was 8 years ago.  My family didn't even know she existed until then.  We had the beautiful opportunity to spend Friday afternoon together walking on trails and finding sand dollars and shells at the beach.  What a blessing to unite with family!  I learned so much from her.  She took a day off work, made us lunch, and drove us for hours with her baby around the vicinity of Seattle.  It didn't matter that our relationship as cousins was a distant one... we are cousins, and she was willing to sacrifice greatly to build that relationship.  I love her kind heart.

Some of God's Greatest Beauties

I also took some time to walk in the woods alone with Jayden.  I prayed out loud thanking God for HIS beauties.  I couldn't believe how full my heart felt as I quietly admired the beauty of nature.  I felt grateful that other inspired humans made valiant efforts to preserve this breathtaking piece of land.

Accepted and Loved

I arrived at the home of the woman who requested that I come to Seattle.  She was full of love for everyone.  We chatted about life while she made a big dinner for several of us who were staying in her home.  Right then, Jayden threw up... all over her kitchen floor and me.  I thought, "She's going to wish she never invited us here.  We're a problem."  To my surprise, she didn't even look one bit stressed at the giant mess in her spotless kitchen during the makings of a big meal- instead she gave me a "throw-up hug" reassuring me that this was just a better way to get to know ALL the parts of my life.   She loved ALL of me... that felt good to know that I didn't need to try to be somebody who I wasn't.

Soap in the Toilet Miracle

Because we were on East Coast Time Zone, Jayden was wide awake at 5am.  I went to the bathroom as quietly as I could.  Before I could close the lid down, Jayden threw a brand new, big bar of soap into the toilet!  I quickly thrust my hand into the toilet, but it slipped upwards into the neck of the toilet. Feeling completely embarrassed and truly wearing out my welcome, I prayed for help to get the soap out.   My hand was just slightly too big to grasp the soap and pull it down.  I tried to stab it with my pen.  Nothing worked!!  One guest, who I had not yet met, entered the bathroom at 5:30am.  I thought, "Oh no, she's going to have a serious problem when she tries to flush the toilet."  I hesitantly knocked on the door, but I didn't want her to have a problem in there.  ...when she opened it, I wondered who she was!  I hadn't seen this house guest yet!  I said, "Ummm... I'm really sorry- but you can't use that toilet."  She responded a bit panicked, "But I've been waiting to use the bathroom for the last hour!!"  I told her what my son had done.  Then I asked this stranger, "Well, is it #1?  You might be ok if it's just #1."  (This was a awkward conversation to be having with a complete stranger.)  She said it was just #1, and I gave her the go-ahead on the toilet.   As the morning continued, I instilled panic on the other house guests who had not received the message that I had ruined the toilet.  They thought they had clogged the toilet- what an embarrassment for them as well!   Once everyone was awake, I had to break the news to the family that I had ruined their toilet with a bar of soap.  The man of the house informed me that just a few days prior, he felt inspired to buy an interesting tool that could bend upwards and had a hook on it.  At the time, he didn't know why he was buying it, but boy was I glad he followed that inspiration!  He reached into the toilet, hooked it, and pulled it right out.  Phew!  What a relief!  This brother never once looked irritated at the extra job I had given him on an already busy morning.  He displayed the patience of humanity.

Dancing Queens

Right before I was to speak to the women, a group of older women and younger women put their hats on sideways, got up, and danced synchronized movements to a rap song.  I was backstage laughing so hard that I was crying.  I had been feeling nervous because my bio was not quite as impressive as the other speakers. Abe sent me a text message right before I started that said, "God will speak through you."  God spoke to me through their dances that HE was using me... just the way I was... to speak HIS message.   Our family LOVES to dance!  We have crazy dance parties in our family room often.  My husband is a professional performer, so he dances very similar to these on stage all the time.  What else could have calmed my nerves and reassured me more than to watch these sisters dance their hearts out... Mills' Family style. :-) These women freed themselves from inhibitions.  Because they chose to live with joy, many others were blessed by their courage and joy.

United In Service

After I spoke at the women's conference, I was eating lunch with the sisters when Jayden choked on a chip.  I turned him upside down and patted his back.  The chip came up... but so did everything else!  I couldn't believe how quickly the sisters jumped to action.  One wiped my toes, another stripped Jayden down, yet another fetched my suitcase for my change of clothes, and another sister went on a search for rags.  Before I knew it, Jayden and I were both wiped down, in new clothes, and peacefully eating our lunch again.  These sister demonstrated quick, loving, selfless, service.  The power of women serving with a united purpose was remarkable.

Reuniting with a Dear Friend

After speaking at the women's conference, I had a very special opportunity to reunite with one of my best friends from college.  We hadn't seen each other for several years.  We visited the city; I stayed at her house, and we reminisced and laughed for hours.  I was reminded of the importance of holding on to lifelong friendships.  God rekindled our deep friendship to enrich and encourage each other just when we needed it the most.  I believe that God puts special people into our lives on a continual basis to do just that.

Inspired Meetings

On my flight home, I met a woman who I learned from in every aspect of life!!  She taught me spiritually, intellectually, and emotionally... she had solid advice for many of the things I had been concerned about.  I felt such a connection to her from the beginning, and I knew God had his hand in our meeting to lift us both.  I look forward to continuing in that friendship. 

Strangers Serving Strangers

On my way home, my flight was delayed and then cancelled...  I was stuck in Minneapolis, and my luggage is still there... 2 days later!  Minneapolis Airport is 2 miles long!  There was a man from Spain who had just broken 2 of his fingers, yet he carried Jayden's car seat (along with his own luggage) all the way to my gate before he went in an opposite direction to his own gate.  Several other men took the time play with and distract Jayden while I gathered my things.  Another man offered to pay for Jayden's milk from the vending machine when I didn't have enough small change to get it.  It cost $4.50!!  A sweet woman spent some time patiently teaching me how to use my smart phone as a boarding pass because we were being diverted the following day.  A couple fought for me and with me to get a hotel room when our airlines refused to give me one.  Despite the highly disappointing circumstances, I felt uplifted to be the recipient of so much service at the hands of so many strangers.

Humanity's Worst Inspires Humanity's Best to Step Forward

Lest you think I only encounter the good humans, be not confused!!  I met a few pretty mean individuals too!!  Holding her nose in a dramatic pinch, one lady informed me that I had ruined her whole experience (loud enough for half of the plane to hear) because Jayden pooped his diaper.  I will not focus on this woman because out of the worst of these came the kindest of humanity choosing to stand up for me and my baby and treat us with great love.  If we accept it, God places the greatness of humanity in our path to make up for the cruddy side.  I could very easily focus on those negative people since they left me in tears; but truly, the good was outweighing the bad everywhere I went!!

My Final Surprise

Only a couple of hours before I would board my airplane, my friend took me to the most beautiful waterfall I could  have imagined.  We drove around a corner, parked our car, walked up a small path, and there it was.  Mist rose all the way to the top lightly wetting our skin.  There were only about 5-10 people there, and I was reminded of the beauties that God has in store for us. 

What a miraculous weekend in beautiful Seattle.  We are spiritual beings, and there are spiritual experiences around almost every corner of life.  God has HIS hand in the lives of HIS children from all walks of life.  HE is showing us HIS influence through them and through HIS Earthly creations.  IT'S A BEAUTIFUL LIFE.