Extraordinary

Hello Friends,

It’s been a while!  I’ve had lots of changing circumstances lately which kept me from writing. So I should say, “Hello Again!”

Today, I want to share with you a couple of extraordinary things.

Yesterday, I was coming out of the a medical center building, and I saw a large bird on a power line.  If I had to guess, I would say it was about 14 to 16 inches tall.  That is not a common occurrence in a big city.  I would know because I’m always looking up for pretty skies.  Buzzards,  pigeons, and grackles, yes. They are the more common and larger birds around here.

I tried many times to get good shots of the large bird with my iPhone camera. I hurried because I thought maybe this big bird would fly away, but as I later found out, it was eating something.  I was able to move my car and get into a more strategic place for photographs.  Later, I looked up the species, and it was a red shoulder hawk.  I’ve seen hawks in passing, but never sitting and eating long enough for me to get pictures.  I was captivated.

I come from a long line of bird watchers, and I have the porcelain figurines in my China cabinet and decorative plates on my kitchen walls to prove it.  My fascination with birds is in my bloodline.  I’m not claiming to be that knowledgeable, but I enjoy the beauty and  sounds of the avian world.

The other extraordinary event happened today when I was traveling to the military cemetery to visit the grave site of my mom and my dad. Today, mom would’ve been 90 years old.  During my drive over there, it dawned on me that I don’t remember how to get back to their burial plot.  I am so directionally challenged!  It frustrates me beyond description.  I started praying, “Lord! You know I need help. What if I get over there and I can’t remember what road to turn on?  What if I can’t remember what section?  What if I can’t remember anything?“

I just kept driving.  I thought, “Well, I could call my sister or my brother.”  I prayed some more.

When I pulled into the cemetery, I knew to drive straight back. I say straight back, but in actuality, it was a lot of curves.  I didn’t have to make a decision as to where to go until I got back to a certain building.  Then, in my spirit, I heard the street name. And then in my spirit, I felt a nudge when I saw a certain section number. And finally, I heard in my spirit how many rows back to walk.

I almost second guessed those messages in my spirit and went to a different spot.  I felt in my heart to believe with confidence in my original instructions.  I went to the original row, I counted 13 rows back and two headstones to the left and sure enough, it was the right location for my parents’ headstone.

I went from panic to prayer to praise.  God cares about my path.  He’s invested in my details.  He guided this directionally impaired person to the specific place that was sought.  I am so blessed to share this extraordinary experience with you.

How many times do I miss a message because I’m too distracted?  Today, my weakness brought me to prayer, which led me to God’s victory on a heartfelt mission.  What a praise!

I want to notice birds and skies.  I love to be surprised.  I want to be sensitive to the Lord’s leadership in my areas of weakness, as well as in my strengths.  The extraordinary keeps me looking and seeking.

How about you?  What’s been happening with you lately?

MT Penny