Once again our knee jerk reaction was wrong. Once again we felt that maybe things had not been thought out as they should have been. Once again we sold God short. He was about to give us exactly what we needed, in a way we could not see as wise. He was about to bless us with love that would help see us through the hard times to come.

I’m going to make a long story short here in order to get to the point I want to make today. In the spring of 1999, I bought a franchise for a Las Vegas Golf and Tennis store. I took on four minor partners, and opened the store in Plano, Texas in the middle of October, 1999. By November of 2000 the store was in trouble financially, and one of the minor partners told me to step aside, and he would then add funds to the store, and try to turn it around. I did as I was told in order to protect the other three minor partners.

For the first time in my life I had failed, and the next few years would prove to be very difficult for Paula and me, as I struggled with the failure, and the subsequent depression brought on by this event. (If you are interested in reading more about this time read, Facing Failure. It is chapter eight of my book Everyday Christianity: Life Learned Lessons and Observations from an Ordinary Man.)

Now, back to the blessing. It was Christmas, December, 2000. Paula and I were gathered with our kids to open gifts, and enjoy a great dinner together. The family was still small, consisting of Paula, and me, Josh and Miranda our children, and Amber our daughter-in-law. Quite honestly I only remember one gift that was opened that day. Paula opened it. It was from Josh and Amber. It took a second for the message to sink in, and when it did I know our reaction was not what was expected.

The gift was stork, complete with a blue hat, standing and holding a blue ribbon in it long beak. Attached to the ribbon was a sign board that read:

 “COMING ATTRACTION:

 “Junior” or “Michelle”

 August 2001”

We sat stunned with a look of disbelief. We soon recovered, began to smile and hug the kids. We were being blessed with our first grandchild.

You see, our knee jerk reaction had been shock, and to us, reality. Didn’t these kids know that Josh still had Dental school to attend? Didn’t they know that they were young and had plenty of time to have children? Didn’t they know that Amber would need to work as a teacher while Josh was going through Dental school? How could a child fit into this arrangement? We had no idea that God was answering a prayer, a plea for help, a cry, from a man and woman in their mid forties facing failure for the first time.

I know this must seem confusing to you, me talking about the upcoming event being an answer to our prayer for deliverance. After all wasn’t it Josh and Amber who had had their prayer for a child answered? Yes. Yes it was, but to see it only as that, is to sell God short in regard to His love, and power. God did give the kids an answer to their plea, while at the same time giving us, and especially Paula an answer to our prayer.

On August 15, 2001, Mary Alice Smith was born, and that is the day that God blessed us with the love that would help us through the hard times. May Alice came at just the right time for Paula. Mary Alice helped remove Paula from the stress of financial concern, and my job hunting. Mary Alice became the focal point of our lives. Mary Alice helped us to refocus on God. She helped me to stop questioning God.

We know that God ways are not our ways. We know that we can’t understand how God works. But, by faith I believe that God used the same gift to bless two different couples in just the way they needed to be blessed.  

Thank you God for giving us Mary Alice. Thank you for giving us love.

Till next time.

Grump