Unexpected Blessing

More often than not our Sunday dinners are at the Culvers on 86th street in Urbandale. Today was no different. Jon was preaching at the Bridge and I was at Meredith Drive doing my thing. And, of course, the kids were with me. We met Jon at Culvers. One of the perks of having Josie is that we get to park in handicapped parking. However, sometimes I get a few "looks" when I pull up and walk around the van to get the kids out. I am sure people are thinking something like this - "She doesn't look she needs handicapped parking, why is she parking there?" One time in a parking garage in downtown Des Moines somebody even told me to save the handicapped spaces for people who really need them. I was just about to open the van door to get Josie out - as I pulled her out, I told the lady that if she wanted to adopt a child who was unable to walk that she could park here, too. Not one of my finer moments, but it sure felt good. Anyway, I digress. As I was getting Josie out, I noticed an older couple in the parking lot watching me. I thought maybe they were upset with me using the handicapped parking space. I didn't really think much about it. I was hungry, my kids were hungry. It was time to eat.

We got there before Jon so the kids and I found a booth to sit in and we waited for him. I really wasn't paying attention to the people around me. I fed Josie, which is normal to me and my kids, but I forget that this isn't normal to most of the people around us. Jon came so I left the kids with him and ordered our food. I came back and noticed that the couple from the parking lot was now talking to Jon. They were asking about Josie. They then told us that they had a son who had cerebal palsy. He wasn't supposed to live past the age of 18 but he lived well into his 30s. I don't know how long ago their son passed away, but I could tell this woman loved her son very much. She lit up when she talked about him. They thanked us for taking Josie into our family. We continued talking for awhile. They were a blessing to us, I think we were a blessing to them. As they were leaving they said that they will see us again. Our faith was not discussed, but I think she meant that we will get to spend eternity together. Josie, her son, and our family. The Spirit was present at Culvers in Urbandale today.