a day when things didn't turn out quite like I thought

Today was filled with things that did not go as planned.

1. I got a late start so didn't stop at the mall to do a few errands like I had planned to before heading downtown to pick up something from my doctor's office and a futon from my friend for my spare bedroom.

2. The traffic was horrible and a trip that normally takes 35 minutes took me 75. I decided to take side roads for half of the way downtown.

3. When I finally found a parking spot and took the elevator to my doctor's office, it was closed (despite hours posted that they were open on Fridays).

4. I spent 4 hours helping my friend move some of her stuff into a storage unit and an hour and a half after I had planned to leave, we spent 5 minutes loading the futon into my car.

5. I stopped at the mall on the way home to do my errands and went to 2 jewellers who refused to touch my watch (they said it was difficult to open). At the third bijoux repair place was a young girl named Chantal who just took my watch, popped off the back and flicked out the dead battery. The instant she did that, all the power in the mall went out. Chantal said, "That's not good," and I just laughed. We waited a bit and partial power came on so she was able to fix my watch and print a bill.

6. During the 30 minutes I was inside the mall, the bright sunny skies had turned into quite a storm and the sky was amazing on the way home. I stopped at the weather station and took this picture.

7. The thought that kept coming to me today as things veered off course was to be thankful in every circumstance. And I was. I was thankful that I was caught in traffic instead of in any accident that might be causing the traffic. I was thankful that I was healthy enough to walk away from my closed doctor's office and the only thing I needed there was a piece of paper. I was thankful that I was able to borrow a futon for my guest who is coming tomorrow! I was grateful to lend a helping hand to a friend in her move. I was utterly thrilled to watch the unsettled and changing dark/pink/bright/stormy/rainbow sky on my way home. And I am most grateful that my times are really in God's hands. I would not have things any other way.

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outWORD by Matte Downey

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