Tuesday- Today I am reminded over and over again of Thanksgiving and gratitude, with joy and rejoicing in my heart, for simple things. Simple things that may get taken for granted any ordinary day. (These past four days have been anything but ordinary. Sharing close quarters with four grown women could never be ordinary unless you have grown up with three sisters. I had a little advance training for this; I have two sisters. One extra girl is not much of a stretch for me.) I am thankful for my kind Daddy God who showed me glimpses of His sweet Goodness. All day.
Simple pleasures. Kind-hearted Alabamians (is that a word?) People of Alabama have been extremely kind. Every encounter here has been positive. The people are friendly. Southern hospitality is alive here. Downtown Mobile Historic District appears thriving. We pulled off the highway to find a lunch spot as we drove to Mississippi, our destination point. Perhaps we would even find someone to show kindness to, but I had to go to the bathroom. Urgently. We did not choose to eat there but the restaurant appeared big enough for me to see if there were public bathrooms. I wandered around like a mouse in a maze looking for the facilities and found a HUGE lobby for a grandiose hotel: The Renaissance Battle House Hotel, built in 1851.
The door hardware was ornate. The paper toweling was thick, posh and PRINTED. WOW. I got excited by paper hand wipes. If that is not simple, I don't know what is!
In the meantime, the others wandered in, too, since it took me a while to meander and find what I was looking for. They struck up a conversation with a middle age woman named Emilie.
Sweet Emilie. She could have been or done anything, as a former Marine, former civil servant in the city, mother, and more, she is a faithful steward of the facilities, a housekeeper, that showed us extraordinary kindness. She loves this hotel, and took pride in its ornate detail. She showed us where things were located, as she checked for things that were out of place, a piece of paper, a fuzz ball, anything. She pointed out areas of interest including an award winning conference center, whispering arch, Tiffany windows, the rooftop, where she showed us city details such as the navy's newest ship still being built, a Catholic cathedral,and stories of glamour. Emilie is a PR of public relations. The hotel is blessed to have her. She could be Director of Tourism for Mobile.
She did not talk about herself except to describe how she came to work there, so there was no natural opening to do what we do best. We were delighted by her warmth and it appeared the feeling was mutual. She took us to the gift shop in person so we would be sure to find it. Mary has been on the lookout for postcards to send her kids. (It is a dying past time) The lady at the check out line shared my first name. I could see right into her soul as she rang up my own postcard purchase. Nothing was shared, really, except for pleasantries, but I could feel we connected somehow.
As we walked out the hotel into the street to find a place to eat, our Biloxi hostess, Terri, called with details regarding her plans for us for the evening. We decided to forgo lunch and settled for muffins at a Mostly Muffin bakery to eat along the road to Biloxi, where we would meet Terri, her mother, her 19 year old daughter and a Baptist pastor she is friends with. She provided us two rooms ( TWO !!!) and took us all out to dinner (WOW!!!) and entertained us for an opening night show that happened to be at the hotel that night (WHAT?!!!) Our work in Biloxi is arranged for the next day, she said. Well, who could argue with that? The woman at Lifeway's voice echoes in my ears, "Oh no, you're NOT!" Gulp. Acquiesce graciously. Thank you. I am blown away. If I had long hair, it would be blowing straight back.
We all took turns, as the doors opened, to minister, love and encourage Jessi, a young woman determined to get her life together and going in a better direction. She is a precious Treasure and Terri's creative daughter who loves, loves, loves, her job at Dollar General and has been pondering spiritual matters without a clear direction. I poured God's love into her and described it in detail, Graham Cooke style, so she would begin to glimpse God's intense love for her. I held out two pretend ice cream cones: Vanilla, Chocolate, you choose. Life or Death. You choose."
She said,"Life is my favorite flavor." Sweet Jessi.
More simple pleasures I am extremely grateful for: Extra bedroom mirrors, built-in hairdryers with green night lights, complementary bottled water, my own bed, falling asleep before 10:30 PM, the Gulf Coast, old friendships, seafood, and Gelato.
The same favor we showed Bo yesterday in The Galleria parking garage, got returned to us in kind today, like a mirror reflects what is before it.
I am eager to roll up my sleeves and work today with the two volunteer groups Terri arranged for us to serve alongside. Resisting the feelings of guilt, stemming from thinking I need to work to earn my keep, I am reminded that God loves me just as much as he loves His other worthy treasures that we are here to find and show His extraordinary goodness to. And not put limits on it, like I think I need to be or do anything to deserve his provision. He is Good. He is Kind. He is Love. He is Provider. That is who He is and that is what he does. For me. For His other Treasures. For you.
