This week has been interesting and mundanely exciting. I have been working on the cabinet I found on the street that day I stepped on the rusty nail. It came with its two original doors but is a shell, and I have been trying to figure out how to fill the middle gap with my limited woodworking skills. What I have tried thus far has failed, but God has allowed my time off of work to be highly fruitful. I have been listening to sermons and spending more time with Him, which is what I needed. While doing that, He has provided people along the way: The Spanish lady lost in my neighborhood, my friend Joey who argued with the Smoothie King employees, and a lady I met while getting my car serviced.
One day last week, I was on my way to Lowe’s for cabinet project supplies when responsible me re-routed to the Honda dealership. Knowing it could be a while, I brought a John Grisham book and my bible and sat on a bench next to a lady who was also reading and waiting. I said good morning and opened my bag to get my book when she asked what I was reading, and I picked it up and responded, “Sycamore Row by John Grisham”. She replied that she could never get interested in his books while my mind flashed to my growing Grisham collection, taking up various cabinets and shelves! I told her I collected them from the thrift store, which opened up our mutual love for thrifting and the nice furniture and other things we have found. Neither of us read the books we brought to distract ourselves, and we talked for an hour and a half! I do not think either of us planned on having that much time fly by so fast, but I believe God set this meeting up! We talked about EVERYTHING, and after she asked about my job, I told her my current situation. After asking various other questions that I know quickly painted my life spiraling down the toilet, I tried diverting the attention off of me and asked a billion questions about her life. She was an African American woman in her seventies, so I knew she would have much more life experience than me. I asked her all the questions about her career, marriage, etc., and she was happy to share it.
She asked if I was dating the more we talked, and I said yes. What started as not knowing anything about my life and her first sentence to me being “Don’t be shacking up with anybody, “ ended with “God has plans for you. Just stay the course.”
What started as rapidly thinking this young girl’s life was going down the toilet ended with “What situation you in? You sound blessed? You don’t have a situation.”

She asked if I was water baptized, and anyone who knows me knows I will never forget the water baptism season of my life. It is the gift that keeps on giving, and getting into a bible debate in the parking lot of Honda was not how I planned to start my day. I knew I could not change her mind on water baptism not being required for salvation as I was just a young, unemployed, confused lady getting her car serviced. Instead, I simply asked her if the thief on the cross was water baptized.
“You know, I think so!” … a few minutes later she had still been thinking of it. “Now that you asked me that, I don’t know! You think I can google that??”

We covered all the possible topics, and this lady touched my life in under two hours! I wish I had exchanged numbers with Mrs. Harriet but instead told everyone about the new friend passing through.

Another surprise blessing was a last-minute coffee date with my Aunt and a surprise visit from Ryan! He got in town Friday night and left Sunday morning. Since I work with Brent on Saturdays, I picked him up and brought him to my house, where we had a roast beef po-boy picnic with my dad that was Brent’s idea and had a water day filled with water balloons and water gun fights. I am still recovering from being in the New Orleans heat!

This morning I was listening to a Charles Stanley sermon when I texted Ryan a screenshot with directions from New Orleans to First Baptist Church Atlanta and asked, “Is it weird I want to meet him?”

To save yourself the hassle the guy who answered chuckled and asked “You watch a lot of tv huh?” I said I didn’t want to be weird and seem like I wanted his autograph, but Charles Stanley touched my life and I just want to meet him or hear him preach.
The man on the phone said he already knew what I was going to ask and gave me another number to call, but also mentioned how much Charles Stanley touched his life as well and how he ended up working at the church.

I called the other number and found out that due to his age and Covid times he is not doing public preaching or events momentarily, but I can call back at any time to find out about speaking engagements. He made sure to add he is in great health and writing books, etc.

Don’t worry about your life.

Unemployed Aimee also started a YouTube channel