total yay-ness!

Today's Blessing: brought to you by ms. dragon-fly.

i ran into my oldest, dearest friend at the station this fine, sunny morn. it was funny that we ran into each other because, due to my Chronic Lateness Disease (CLD), i left the house super late. and due to the ridiculous traffic i hit, i arrived to the station super-duper late. so to see him strolling up at the same time was hilarious. his nonchalant explanation was simply, "i left late..." with a shrug. i can so see why we're friends. we have the same condition - not only the illness of perpetual tardiness, but also the sickness of "...and i don't care either..." ha. and HA.

so on the train we're shooting the breeze, and i asked about his family. here is where i get excited because my God is....well, He's just God. enough said.

his older sis and her husband had been having severe marital problems for awhile and were on the brink of separation. it was a real strain on her and their whole family. the couple has two very young, adorable children, and no one wanted to see this marriage dissolve - for the kids' sake and for their marriage's sake as well. i was heartbroken also to hear of their struggles. i've known that family a long time, and i really feel their pain when they're hurting.

so we've all been praying for God to move, to bring some resolution, healing, anything to their marriage. i mean for real praying, fasting, praying and praying some more, for a long time.

and lo and behold, this morning my friend tells me that they are reconciling!! praise. GOD!! out loud! (praise Him, i said!!! LOL)

i am ecstatic. overjoyed. and overwhelmed to see how God, in His own perfect time, answers prayers, heals, delivers, and puts back together what has been torn asunder. i mean, their marriage was in real trouble, for months. a lot of pain, a lot of hurt, a lot of healing needed. and trust, this was no overnight thing - we didn't just pray about this yesterday and bam! today it's all better. no, it has been quite a while since all the turmoil began. but God never fails - if you persist, hold on, trust Him and keep crying out to Him, He delivers when He knows the right time is at hand. ask and ye shall receive. seek and ye shall find. knock and the door shall be opened unto you. Amen.

i guess it's the right time because a drastic change has occurred. i know things will not be 100% back to "normal" right away, but things have dramatically changed with them. it's amazing. it's God. i feel blessed to be here to witness their turnaround. i feel blessed to feel joy for them. in a world where divorce is as common as breathing, it's easy to become desensitized and apathetic when you hear of the dissolution of a marriage. it's easy to adopt that "it doesn't affect me so i don't care" attitude, not just about divorces and such, but about anything. and i'll confess that i sometimes get so wrapped up in my own issues that i numb myself to the pain of others.

but with this situation, i really felt their pains. divorce and separation are devastating. and when things looked like they were heading in that direction for this couple, it hurt me. it didn't directly affect me/my life - but i literally hurt for them. it's good to know that even with all the issues of my heart, there's still room enough to bear the burdens of others. *thank You, Father, for giving me a soft, compassionate heart.*

i am blessed to once again witness God's hand moving in the lives of His children. *thank You, Father, for healing marriages, restoring what has been broken, forgiving, and delivering. Your grace and mercy endures forever.*

i am blessed to have started my morning off with hearing great news. see, if i hadn't been late, i wouldn't have run into my friend and therefore wouldn't have heard such blessed testimony first thing this morning. *thank You, Father, that something good sometimes comes from my CLD*

i am blessed to once again feel encouraged. i'm dealing with a hurting heart of my own right now. and i've been praying, but feeling discouraged at not seeing things get better. but when God allows me to witness how He moves and heals in the lives of those close to me, it let's me know that He's in my vicinity. and maybe, just maybe, my turn is coming up. *thank You, Lord, for blessing those around me. and thank You for allowing me to see it. it encourages me, it lifts my heart. YOU lift my heart. thank You.*

me thinks i'll be grinning all the live-long day.

let's give God a hand, ladies and gentleman!

(my hand) -------->