Have you ever had a perfect plan made only to have things go awry? It happened to my husband John a few days ago but as often happens, God had other plans with the situation well in hand.
On that day I had come close to the limit of my energy level before 11 a.m. so I had said as soon as I finished whatever the next thing was on my list I was planning to take a nap. I was aware that John was dressed up a bit more than usual for a day around the house but I figured he planned to go get some orange juice he’d seen on sale. I was getting ready to see him off before heading for my nap when he stopped me, looked directly into my eyes and said, “Now I know you said you were going to take a nap but would you like to go for a little ride with me?” How I hated to have to tell him I was just too tired. I probably have, but I can’t remember ever having said that to him before. He graciously accepted my need to nap and headed off alone, only to return later having had breakfast at a pancake place where he was seated at a table near friends who, when they saw him, said, “Come sit with us!” He did and told me they’d all had a wonderful conversation but missed me. With a grin, he added, “But I got a chance to talk!” (What could that comment have meant? Hm-m-m-m…) I was ready to laugh with him since I felt rested from my good nap.
I was surprised when he again was ready to “go for a ride” and asked for my company. This time I didn’t say, “No.” We ended up at a furniture store where I assumed we had come to get the long-needed new box spring and mattress set but that was not on my husband’s agenda that day. When he was out earlier he had been searching for and found a recliner for me not orange juice! Now we were here for my approval of his find.
For a long time now I have been using my husband’s old recliner, a long time being about 4 years. Let me set the scene for those of you who don’t know us personally. My husband is a big man. He stands 6’ 4” so is about a foot taller than I. It seems strange I never thought too much about how vast that difference must look to others until I started planning this writing. I have been forced to consider the weight difference from the start because clothiers would look at him then back at me and ask, “Where did you find him?” as they obviously wondered where on their racks they were going to find a suit to fit his massive hulk. Over the fifty-one plus years between then and now stores that cater to tall and big men have cropped up across the country so selections are better including furniture which is how we ended up with a recliner suited better to his size than mine.
When his health required the assistance of a lift-chair I inherited his recliner that had already seen a few years of wear and tear serving his needs. It wasn’t long before I put an old bed pillow under the seat for additional cushioning…then another over the footrest extension to balance it out. Thankfully I was able to place each of these pillows between layers of the chair’s cushioning so they were mostly hidden from view while providing comfort. Providing comfort that is, until I, being a foot shorter of stature than Daddy Long Legs had to half bounce my way with a little hop-jump to get my backside all the way to the back of the chair when I tried to sit down!
Then came the day when we had the discussion that perhaps we needed to do our part to help lift some of the economic woes of our nation and plan to purchase three things in the future, the second on the list (at least in my mind) being a recliner for me. Apparently it was not #2 on the list for Big John. His work of this day reminded me of …”Ask and ye shall receive…” but it also reminded me that while he was looking out for me God was providing him with the loving care of very special friends who gave him something for which he hadn’t thought or planned to ask!
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” James 1:17 (ESV)
While I thank God for my husband who makes plans for my comfort I also thank God for His provisions for my husband’s comfort!
©Marilyn Sue Moore 3-6-09
Gone2thedoggies.com
3 years ago
