Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Yesterday was consumed with getting Laurie's Jeep retrieved from the Chicago Police Pound on the far south side of Chicago. Weeks of calls to various police personnel, frustration, sadness...to finally see it there among hundreds of cars, some with bullet holes, some horrible wrecks...Laurie's prized Jeep. Now a "crime scene investigation" coated all through the inside with special chemical to lift fingerprints. Dead battery, where do you get a new one? Finally, sitting in it where she had sat four weeks ago, all the contents have been removed, I pushed the Eject CD button, and out pops a CD Scott had made for Laurie. Now I press the Eject Tape button, out pops a Seeds tape from an August service. Mike Breaux taught on "Diving Deep" into God. Had she been listening to them? We won't ever know. The irony was I had just listened to New Community message from Wednesday of this week and Mike Breaux talked about the death of the lady who had been at Willow in August. Her name was Marsha Williams born with many physical problems but who could sing like an angel. Mike said she just passed away 28 days earlier. Did Laurie arrive in heaven just about the same time as this lady who's story she had heard on the tape? Hmmm? And as my sweet nephew Phil drove his truck with the flatbed hauling Laurie's Jeep out of that dismal pound, he popped the CD from Scott into the player. First song, Close Your Eyes by David Barnes, the same song chosen for the photo montage at the funeral... weeping from the three of us as we drove.

Today, I need to go to Linens N' Things. As I walk in I am hit with how much fun Laurie and I had in there just a few months ago buying stuff for her new "grown-up" bedroom. I go to the clearance area hoping I will find what I need there. Instead, I see clearance Christmas stuff and I am struck to the heart thinking of next Christmas when we take out those 17 stockings to hang on the mantel..."Jesus, Pete, Barb, Greg, Cheryl, Ashley, Brooke, Chris, Christa, Hayden, Katie, Tommy, Denver, Maya, Isaiah, Laurie, Kristin". Ahhhhh. What about Laurie's stocking? I can't breath, I am crying in the middle of Linens N' Thing. I need to leave; I look up and on the shelf are boxes of tool kits for ladies, not just any tool kits, get this: Barbara K 30 piece Tool Kit. Barbara K, that's me. What is this? And next to it a gold Christmas stocking hanging thing for the mantel that read "JOY". Okay, God, again, I have to thank you for putting me right where I needed to be to see my name right next to JOY. Of course I bought both items.

Tomorrow. Who knows? God does and I am counting on that.