Is your Happiness packed in boxes?

My life here in Florida has been going through some major changes. I’d already known that it wasn’t going to be easy making a major move at the tender age of seventy-six. Somehow, by the Grace of God, He gave me the strength daily to tackle one box at a time until a mountain of boxes impeded my moving about the apartment freely.

I tried to mark the boxes so that I would know what was in each one. Two boxes indicated what was safely packed within them—MY Sweetest possessions.

It might sound like “senior sentiment” but every day I could feel the need to get this sweet gift out of the box and back into my daily line of view. My son gave me these precious little china joys. The story is as precious to me as they are.

It was Mother’s Day or Birthday, that part eludes me. But My Son was overseas in England at the time. I’d been doing the long-distance Mothering thing for months. But I knew it was part of a son joining the Military. They say go and the enlisted–go.

But I have a son whose heart is always mindful of what his mother is going through. So, during a phone call to let me know that my gift was coming, he included this statement, “Mom, the minute I saw this, the first thing I said was that this looks just like my Mom.”

I was so excited about what happy comparison would come in the mail to me. The package arrived safely, and I immediately began to open it. I already had a flood of tears threatening to spill out from behind my eyes because of missing my son.

I carefully lifted the packing paper which led to softer white tissue paper. The first thing I saw was the white lid that evidently went to a teapot. As I continued to clear away the paper my expectations of pulling some cheerfully created teapot soon vanished. The further I pulled the teapot out the whiter it grew. By the time all I could see was a round solid white teapot my mind traveled back to my son’s statement, “Mom this reminds me of you.”

I sat holding the teapot still sitting in a handful of tissue paper and my mind paused. “My son thinks I remind him of a “solid white teapot?” There wasn’t one stroke of color anywhere on this teapot. It certainly had a playful round shape—like me, but that was all. I instantly thought that must have been the comparison my son made.

I took a deep breath and pulled the tissue paper completely away from the bottom of the teapot and that is when the tears came along with a loud exclamation of, “OH MY GOODNESS!!”

Standing now before me on its two little feet adorned with Mary Jane shoes and polka-dotted socks was the sweetest thing I had ever seen! I did the laughing/ crying thing a mother does when her heart is filled with joy.

As I uncovered each little treasure, they were soon all standing in front of me in their own set of socks and shoes. I stared at them for hours.

So, when I moved here to Florida, they had been packed carefully ensuring their safe travel. I have now been here for ten months, and my sweet little friends were still packed away.

I reason that because of the unexpected events surrounding my move here, my heart didn’t want to unpack them if I wasn’t staying. It’s taken ten months filled with a great deal of prayer, tears, and encouragement from a couple of lovely people God has been using to assure me that God doesn’t make mistakes. I knew in my heart that this was where I was to come. But the expectations I set were way too high and too much my own. God DID bring me here but for other reasons than mine.

Getting to open my heart up to God’s plan has been a test of Faith and much extended Grace.

God is so good to His children. He hears our thoughts far off and knows about every hurt we go through. I just had to open my mind and heart to be able to see the Plan God had for me living here.

When I did, God had a man show up at my door who is acting as an advocate for each resident in my building. He introduced me to a lovely lady who had just asked him the day before about wanting to volunteer to help anyone who needed any transportation. He gave her my name and the contact was made and thoroughly enjoyed! My need has more than been met.

Then he put me in touch with a group here called Stephen Ministries. This is a group of individuals who go through quite extensive training to become ambassadors of the Lord. They come to listen and encourage anyone who might need a caring touch.

This is the second plan God had for me. I lost my lifelong friend who was going to come to see me and us doing things together as we had planned due to unforeseen events. The disappointment was huge.

But God had always promised me that He would never leave or forsake me. I just had to let Him lift my head and heart to see that that was still true.

So, the other day, once I settled it in my heart that I’m staying here, I unwrapped not only my heart, but my Sweet Little “footed” friends! It might sound silly, but the first night I sat across from the shelf where they were now standing, I felt—at home! I had not felt that way since coming here. Every day my heart was torn between here and wishing that I had never moved here. I knew something had to change. I could not live with the indecision. It was affecting me in more ways than one.

Let my story encourage any reader that God is Faithful. He will never forsake any child of His. He always has a plan for our lives and promises to help us find that Plan if we are willing even when our hearts are so hurt and our eyes downcast. He is the Glory and the lifter of our heads!

Things will and do get better when we allow God to show us what to do and then trust Him no matter what.

Now every time I look at my little Sweeties standing across from me, they bring even more joy to my heart! They are twice given—once from my son and then as a promise from God that he knows what's best for me. Seeing them has become an unspoken, “Welcome Home.”

My son texted me the same statement. I know that it has helped lessen the pain he has been feeling also. Now he too can rest assured that his mother is truly at home!

I bless you!