By Janean
Raise your hand if you have ever had your day planned out perfectly and then all of a sudden, your day or direction was changed? It actually happens quite a bit around here, and it happened to me again on Saturday. I planned my weekly shopping, had my list of everything that I needed, and even the route that I was going to take to hit all the stores I needed to go to. Usually, I plan to go to the store that is the furthest away and make my way back home. But this Saturday I had several stops, and my route ended up looking like a big circle around Janesville. Everything was going as planned until my last stop which was at a pet store to buy crickets and mealworms for our chameleon, Gizmo.
Well, the pet store didn’t have any crickets in stock, so I had to retrace my circle back into town to another pet store to see if they had crickets in stock. I wasn’t very happy about this because I was tired and ready to be done shopping. (I am not a shopper. and I don’t enjoy it. Trying to find the things I need can be a headache, having to deal with all sorts of people can be unpleasant, and spending money just is not my thing. Which I think my husband is happy about.) Anyway, I made my way to another pet store, walked in, and headed toward the area where they had their crickets. I did not see a sales associate as I walked up and down the isles of reptile supplies, so I decided to go to the front and ask a cashier if there was someone around who could help me get some crickets. He said yes and pointed to this young woman in a green shirt that had their store’s log on it and said that she could assist me with the crickets. I said, “Ok, thank you.” Then I headed over to the lady and told her that I needed some crickets. She said she could help me with that, and we headed over to where the crickets were kept. I told her how many and the size of crickets that I wanted, and she started to count them out for me. She seemed a little overwhelmed and kept sighing. I asked her if her day has been a hectic one. Her eyes got really big and she shook her head yes and proceeded to tell me about the craziness of her day. About an hour earlier, she was trying to scoop some fish out of one of the tanks and she accidentally overfilled the bag with water, and it ended up spilling all over the tanks, the floor, and on her. Her pants, socks, and shoes were soaked. Next door to the pet store is a discounted “everything” store, so she real quickly ran over there on her break to buy new socks and shoes. They were nothing fancy but at least they were dry on a very cold day. She then continued to tell me about her struggles. She has made some bad decisions in life that have caused her to be in jail, become addicted to alcohol, and end up in bad relationships. She is only 36 but has already lived a hard, depressing life. She said that she has been alcohol free for 21 months, but she continues to struggle with the desire to pick it back up. The night before, she really, really wanted a drink, but she refrained. She then took a breath and said that everything was going to be ok. Somehow, she will make it through. I expressed to her how sorry I was that her day wasn’t going very well. I told her that I understood hardships and mentioned the loss of Hannah a year ago. I said that I have realized that everyone has troubles and struggles in different ways and in different circumstances. Then I handed her a “Hannah Tract” and told her that this tells a little more about what happened to Hannah and that we have started a website to help people. I mentioned that maybe she could go to the website and find things that could help encourage her with her situation. She thanked me, took the tract, then we said our goodbyes, and I took the crickets to the front of the store, purchased them, and left. On my way home, I was thanking God for His change in my direction. I was supposed to go and meet this young woman, listen to her, and share the Lord with her. Things have been relatively quiet for us recently and we continue to wonder what the Lord is doing in and with our lives. But on Saturday, I saw that God is still working, moving, and directing our steps to fulfill His plan.
We are blessed
P.S. Did you raise your hand?
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