Kindness Restored

  I'm not sure about you, but recently I have been overwhelmed with hurt, stress, and worries. Not with my life, but with so much going on around me and in our world. No one ever calls with happy news. No one smile when they pass you in the aisle. The news is almost too much to endure. I'll have to admit, my cheer has been tried and tested.
    The Lord knew. Last week Jamie and I rushed to the car after church and quickly got the boys in the car. It was frigid! I jumped in and we went home. It wasn't until Bible study time that night that I realized what had happened. In true Heather-fashion, I left Jamie's Bible on the car and didn't get it as we drove away. !!!!! In panic I called my sister, church friends, and in-laws that live near the church. Because they love me, and I am pretty sure felt sorry for my issues, they searched into the night. No luck. I was sick. Jamie's Bible was a special gift from his parents, but beyond that it held a tiny picture of an even tinier treasure. It held the only ultrasound picture we had of our first baby that was lost. I always thought it was the perfect place for such a bittersweet reminder. I was wrong. I couldn't help but think about how careless it was for me to let that happen. Jamie woke up and searched the ditches the next day to no avail. Then, when I was literally sick, I got a call. The voice on the other side immediately gave me the sweetest feeling. I precious lady with a perfect Southern accent told me the story of how she was traveling with her husband that night and stopped when they saw it in the road. With only a name printed on the outside, they Googled Jamie and called until they found the correct Jamie Ward. I broke down and told her about what happened.....and for some reason it just came out. Tears, babbling, and an explanation about our picture. She didn't give me much information about the Bible's condition then, now I know why.
    Long story shortened, we agreed to meet the next week as they traveled back through. We met at the mall, they were a bit late, when I saw this couple the Lord flooded me with emotion. A little brunette with a smile bigger than the sun handed me the Bible and gave me a huge hug, and then gave me something else. She handed me our picture. I wasn't prepared for what she told me. She explained with tears in her eyes how the picture wasn't in the Bible when she looked. It bothered her so much that she asked a neighbor to pray with her, and on their way through, the couple stopped again, in an unfamiliar area, and searched the spot where they found the Bible. They found our picture. Unscarred. She had dried it off on their way to me. That's why they were late. I had a few tears. I squeezed her and thanked her over and over. I didn't have the words. We said goodbye, promising to keep in touch. I sat in the car and was flooded with so many emotions. I clutched the paper with the tiny black and white image. My heart was touched. No one, in so long, had down anything so kind for me and my family. Strangers, giving so much thought, I cried and cried. What a wonderful feeling.
    We never know why things happen for sure. The Lord promises farther along. I know for sure that afternoon my faith in true and kind love was restored. Sincere and honest hearts are still there. Still peeking through in this world of dark clouds. I am so thankful that two of them came my way just when my life needed them most. I am thankful for our Bible, for our picture, but above all, I am thankful that the Lord reminded me that He is well in control of every step in our lives.

Thanks, Peggie and Scott Hatcher from Kingsport Tennessee. If you know them, please, pass along our gratitude.