Chapter 7
Show Me a Sign (Out of the trilogy: You Are Worthy Too: The Proof is in the Pudding!
This actually happened to me on December 26, 2010. It is one
of the things God urged me to share again. As his humble servant I have
promised to listen to his direction! I hope this true story helps you with your
faith!
Boy oh boy do I have a story to share! I am a real believer
in not getting into debt. If I don't have the cash, I can't afford it. So I pay all of my bills in cash. This is why
on December 26th, I was walking around with approximately $1300.00 in my
wallet. It was all earmarked for bills that I needed to pay and a whopping $240
to play with that my kids and I had received from family for Christmas.
Now you should know in my house we don't put up a tree and
do the whole Santa thing. I just really think the whole world has gone a little
crazy in the Christmas area. So, we bake a cake and sing happy birthday to
Jesus even though we know December 25 is not the day he was born.
I tell my kids that they need to pray to God to for wisdom,
protection, and for kinder hearts. I tell them to ask for help when dealing
with their brothers and sisters. I tell them they can also ask that He help me
find things they have wished for throughout the year. I go to Goodwill's and
Thrift stores to shop. With 7 kids in the house, it is honestly the only way I
can afford to do anything special at all!
On a short list, I did find a Tonka remote control dump
truck for Michael for $4.00 and a Fisher Price Digital Camera for Marissa for a
whopping $3.00. I also found a Barbie computer learning game for Marie that was
the exact same one her cousin had gotten the year before that Marie LOVED and
had asked for about a million times priced at $2.99! For my littlest one and my
two-year-old, I found some awesome toys all wonderfully priced. You know God
loves his babies! Tia and Travis were just as lucky with items they had asked
for. Goodwill is also the greatest place to buy books for kids and since we
have what we call library time at night. I wanted some new kid books to read
and boy oh boy did I score there!
After breakfast I asked who wanted to help me in the bonus
room with laundry and of course everyone offered as they were still on their
best behavior knowing that God was watching.
I had spread all the gifts out on the floor and as we walked
out the door they were all overwhelmed with joy over the items God had led me
to for them. Needless to say for the rest of the morning everyone was
wonderful, sharing their toys, reading the books, taking pictures, and driving
the dump truck. It was a truly pleasurable morning. I sipped on my coffee and
smiled to myself as my kids all thanked God for helping me find what they had
wanted.
From there we went to my Grandma's house and then off to my
sister's house for the remainder of the day. Worn out and looking forward to a
shopping trip to Value World on 52nd and Keystone where I had been blessed enough
to score a 50% off coupon for the entire thrift store, the kids and I all fell
into our beds and were fast asleep.
The next day around 11:00 AM we were officially on our way
to go shopping. I had seen some bird cages at a local goodwill when I had gone
shopping prior to Christmas. My Uncle Bob loves birds and I had asked if he’d
be interested in these cages. He had said yes so we stopped there first. I
grabbed the cages and then saw a high chair that was marked $10 but was also
50% off so I grabbed it.
Mike lost patience while standing in line and left me in the
store with 5 children and a full cart along with the high chair.
This was a time in my life where my pain level was off the
charts. Mike felt that he was doing me a favor by making me struggle. He
claimed it kept me strong.
All I really longed for was him to help out more or for him
to be gone. What good is a partner who doesn’t do his part?
Anyway, my back was pretty bad and I was hurting something
awful. I paid for our stuff and then fought my way out the store with the
children, the highchair, and my cart. Mike was in the van waiting for us.
I was so mad I didn’t trust myself to speak. I loaded the
children and the items into the van while Mike watched me struggle. I climbed
up into the passenger seat and requested we stop off at home first to unload
all of our items.
When we got home he did help carry in the high chair at my
request. I stopped him in the garage and said, “Look. I’m really bad today and
I don’t want to get angry with you. So, if you can’t be a gentleman today, I’d
rather you stay here.”
He looked at me with this blank look. I continued, “Opening
that side door on that van kills me. Having you walk off leaving me with
everything makes me insanely angry. I don’t want to be angry so if you can’t do
this for me today, it would be best for you to not join us.”
He grinned at me and asked me to clarify what I wanted. I
said this, “Every movie that you have ever seen where a man treats a lady like
a lady, that’s what I need from you today. If you can’t do that then don’t
come.”
He assured me he was capable of that. I tried calling Tia
and Travis one more time as they were at their Grandmother’s for Christmas
morning but they were still not answering the phone. I told Mike I wanted to drive
since I knew the best route to go and giving him directions usually ended up
with me being upset.
We headed out and had made it to 80th and Keystone when
Jeffrey, my youngest child was losing his mind. Mike suggested we pull over and
switch drivers so I could tend to Jeffrey Thomas. When I pulled over, I got out
and walked around to the side door of the van and waited for Mike to open the
door from the inside. All of a sudden the side window rolled down and he
yelled, “Are you going to get in or what?”
I can’t even tell you the anger I felt in that moment. It
took everything I had in me to get that door opened and then closed. I was so
mad I was crying silently. He so didn’t get it! No sooner than I got buckled
in, Tia and Travis called. I had Mike head over to Allisonville to go back and
get them. Not five minutes into our ride Mike began berating me over the amount
of gas we had in the car.
Somehow I managed to calmly say, “Mike if the level of gas
is a problem, pull into the next gas station and we can fill up.”
Like most children do, when we pulled up to the pump, they
all suddenly needed to go to the bathroom. I unloaded them and told Mike I’d
pay inside. Once in the store, I reached into my coat to get my money out. That
is when I realized I did not have my wallet on me anymore. I told myself even
though I was already beginning to panic, it’s in the console.
I ran to the van and asked Mike if my wallet was in the
console. It was not. "What about on the floor." I suggested,
"Maybe it fell."
Again he said, "No."
I was sick. Every dime I had was in that wallet. I was
crying pretty hard on the inside and praying to God silently to please help me.
I called the Goodwill I had gone to first to see if by
chance I had left my wallet there. No. They did not have it but they did take
down my number just in case someone found it and turned it in.
When we picked up Tia and Travis I told them the bad news.
Just as we were getting ready to turn around and back track
our steps, my phone rang. Now, bear in mind, my cell number is listed on our
voice mail message at work just encase someone needs something after hours so I
was not sure who was calling. Even though the last thing in the world I wanted
to do was talk about was fence, I answered my phone trying not to let on to the
fact that I was crying. "Hello." I said as calmly as I could muster.
The voice on the other end asked if they could talk to
Wendy.
I wasn't sure I could pull off a long conversation at the
moment without giving away the fact that I was crying so I asked who was
calling.
They said, "Well I am someone who might have found
something she has lost."
I replied, "Oh my! Did you find my wallet!"
She said, "Yes and I can’t wait to meet you.”
We arranged a place to meet and described our cars to each
other. (It turns out I had actually lost the wallet when we had pulled over
into an apartment complex on 80th street between Keystone Ave & Dean Rd to
switch drivers so I could calm down the baby.)
When we arrived, I got out of the van. The most beautiful
woman I had ever seen was standing there to greet me. She took my hands and
said, "I have to bear witness to you."
She proceeded to tell me the unusual journey she had taken,
completely out of her way, but led in that path by God's voice when she came
upon my wallet. This angel of God had to look me up on the Internet and she
found me through Glidden Fence!
The most amazing thing to me, is she gave me a direct answer
to a prayer. There is NO way she could have known what I had been asking God
for over the last six months. She told me as if it were no big deal, "Oh,
God told me to tell you that you are one of his favorite people and to let you
know not to worry, he has heard you. In me returning your wallet, you have your
answer to your prayer."
Now, to many of you that most likely is vague, but to me,
she was right. That message did answer my prayer. I could not have asked for a
bigger sign. Just so you know, my prayer for the last six months had been.
“God, I have failed at this relationship thing so many times. I have 5 children
with Mike. I want these children to grow up with their father in their lives
but I'm not sure I can continue with him. I need a sign. If I leave Mike will I
be able to make it financially on my own?”
So, to all of those of you, who have questioned whether God
is with us or not, I assure you He most definitely is!