Yesterday had been a hectic one. Both of my kids were sick with asthma and ear infection respectively. I brought them to the urgent care and the wait had been unbelievably long. We checked in at around 1:30pm, but didn't get to see the doctor until 5:30pm. By the time when we stepped out the clinic, all the pharmacies in the neighborhood had closed. After managing to find one about 15 miles away; I breathed in a sign of relief. I dropped off the kids at home with my husband and was on my way to the 24-hour pharmacy.
More than half way through the drive, Waze warmed me that there was hazardous items on the road. A few minutes later, I saw some peeled off tire laid in front of my lane. Not able to avoid it, my car ran right over the object. I got freak out a bit and kept praying that it won't damage the tire on this mission critical moment. While the thoughts were still lingering, the "low-tire" pressure warming light came on. OH NO! I managed to pull over in a close by shopping mall not knowing exactly where I was.
Thereafter, there were chaotic moments seeking friends for ride, waiting in long line of the pharmacy counter, AAA tow calls, auto shop arrangements, etc. By the time I got home watching the AAA truck unload my car with the completely collapsed tire, it was already 10:30pm. My stomach was growling and I was exhausted.
This morning, I realized that there was no handy food around the house to feed my kids before giving them medicine, plain rice seems to be the best last resort. As I rinsed the rice, I looked out the kitchen window and saw this scene.
As I saw the flowers radiates its beauty under the morning sunshine, it instantly brought back the concept of "bread crumb" from Mary Beth Chapman in her book "Choose to See" . . .
"Whether you're in a good place, or in a place that's hard, sad, mad, or desperately hopeless. In the midst of it all, God really is with us and for us. I have found that even during these times when the path is darkest, He leaves little bits of evidence all along the way--bread crumbs of grace--that can give me what I need to take the next step. But I can only find them if I choose to SEE."
It is true that we may not have much say on the events that are unfolding in lives. There are times that storms just surface from nowhere and a seemingly bright day can turn into day with twister and tornado in a split of second. But I guess the choice we have on hand is how to respond. When those thoughts came to my mind, I started thanking God for the doctor in the urgent care, the pharmacy that opens 24-hours, the friends who provide rides, and the rice in my cook pot.
I wanna dedicate this blog particularly to friends who are walking through valleys in lives. May you find strength through Chapman's testimonies. May Chapman's testimony help you process the pain and find strength to battle with the life storms. The book "Choose to See" describes how the Chapman family copes with a terrible tragedy in 2008 when their 5-year-old daughter died after accidentally being hit by an SUV that was being driven by their son. Below are some related infor. about Chapman if you would like to look further into it.
http://marybethchapman.com/about/
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/excerpt-choosing-mary-beth-chapman/story?id=12495888