--MORE THAN COINCIDENCE? Mysterious Ways ~~

--I stepped into the furniture and carpet store and breathed in the familiar scent of leather and wood. I found it relaxing. I worked part-time at the post office nearby. I often spent my lunch hour here, browsing.

My husband, our two young children and I were set to move into a home we'd built ourselves. We needed everything from furniture to light fixtures. But we'd put all the money we had into finishing the house. Still, that didn't stop me from dreaming of what could be.

What was really delaying our move was the lack of carpeting. Our floors were cement slabs; with the Ohio winter settling in, they were already icy cold. I'd kept an eye out for sales and discounts, but wall-to-wall carpet remained beyond our budget.

Today brought a new promotion: a raffle. The lucky person would win $1,000 in store credit.

"You should enter," a voice said.
I turned around. It was the store owner. We'd had several conversations, especially after I complimented him on the Christian music he played over the speakers. He was a Pastor, always ready with a kind smile or a touching story about his congregation.

"But I've never bought anything here," I said. Technically I'm not even a customer."

"Anyone can enter, Anita," the store owner said. "Go Ahead!"

I filled out multiple entry forms. They were among hundreds of entries. But it was worth a shot, I supposed. On my way out, I stopped in the doorway and whispered, "Lord, you know my needs. I leave this up to You."

Weeks passed. Then my phone rang. "Congratulations!" boomed a voice. It was the son of the store owner. "We just held the drawing, " he told me, "and you won!" I couldn't believe it. I'd never won anything that big before!

After giving me details, he paused. "Anita," he said, his tone serious, "you were meant to win this contest."

Well before picking the official winner, the son of the owner told me, he and the store secretary had held a test run. He reached deep into the metal drum of entries and pulled out a slip. My entry form. He tossed it back in and mixed up the papers. The secretary picked next.

"Again, it was yours," he said. "Neither of us was surprised when your name was drawn this morning. Someone knew you needed this."
'Jesus is as close as the mention of His name.'
---GuidePosts//AW~~ --"Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus"/ Casting Crowns//--<https://youtu.be/76y1_BwoyJ0>
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--MYSTERIOUS WAYS ~~
--'MORE THAN COINCIDENCE'~~

~~MY TIRES spun in the snow. The car lurched but didn't move. I eased off the gas.
It was official: I was stuck.

Why now? This was supposed to be my last trip before I retired the old car, a Renault Alliance. I was visiting a friend in Maine. I knew her house was around here somewhere, but I'd taken a wrong turn along the way and was now on a desolate, dead-end street. I tried to turn around...and ended up stuck in a snowbank. The sun was setting, and there wasn't a soul in sight.

My mechanic had been urging me to get a new car. But I couldn't bring myself to do it. This car was one of the last things I had left from my father.

Some of the best memories I have of Dad took place in his numerous cars. He typically never spent more than $1,000 on one, so they were constantly breaking down. My father would repair them and repair them until they eventually refused to be revived.

I learned to drive on one of those old clunkers. Dad worked part-time as a driving instructor, so I liked to say that I'd gotten professional lessons. I can't claim I was my father's best student, but I did pass my driving test on the first try. I'll never forget his smile as he handed me the keys and let me take the car for my first solo spin.

This car had actually been the only one that Dad ever bought new, something he'd been so proud of. The day of Dad's funeral, my brother quietly took me aside and told me that he and the rest of my siblings had agreed that I should have it.

Now, stuck in a snowbank somewhere in Maine, I just wanted my dad. He would have known what to do. He always did.

It was getting darker, and I was so tired. With a sigh, I laid my head on the steering wheel.
"Please help me, Lord," I prayed. All around me, the snow continued to fall.

A few minutes passed. Then there was light, sudden and blinding. Headlights coming down the road. A tow truck! My heart sank as the driver passed by without seeing me. But then the truck backed up.

The driver pulled alongside.
"You call for a tow, lady"" the driver shouted.

I hadn't, but I think I know Who did. ~~

--GUIDEPOSTS/MM~~
--"Be Still My Soul"--(In You I Rest//--lyrics) Kari Jobe //<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpC08EPrWLQ>
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---MYSTERIOUS WAYS
--More Than Coincidence ~~

~~~I got to my feet, brushing the dirt from my hands, and surveyed my garden. It was early Spring, and so much was in bloom--the marigolds, the impatiens, the ivy climbing the trellis. But my pride and joy had to be my rosebushes. I had cultivated many varieties, with blooms that ranged from white to scarlet. All of them were thriving, their buds just starting to open... All except one.

It was my latest addition--a yellow rosebush. Yellow roses are my favorite, and this little plant had looked had looked so hearty and healthy at the nursery. I planted it, but within weeks it had started withering. It became a scraggly, pathetic thing. The leaves turned brown and began to shrivel.

Roses are notoriously finicky. I watered my new purchase carefully, fed it, even talked to it. Nothing seemed to work. I felt disheartened. I'd been feeling that way a lot lately. Some time passed and I tried to focus on the other flowers in my garden.

My younger daughter, Emily, was about to graduate high school. In a few months, she'd be off to college. My older daughter, Allison, was getting married. Her husband-to-be was in the military, stationed in Germany. Just days after the wedding, Allison would be going back with him--4,000 miles and an ocean away. I already felt the loneliness.

Allison was entering a new phase of her life. Both my daughters were. I was thrilled for them. I loved hearing about Emily's classes. I loved helping Allison with her wedding plans. But as a single mom, I found the stress of juggling all the to-do lists and everything on my own was taking its toll.

And now my rosebush was dying. My favorite hobby. I'll have to dig it up tomorrow, I thought, going inside to start dinner.

That night, in bed, I whispered, "Lord, I feel so alone. Send me a sign so I know you're there watching over us. So I know everything will be okay. I trust in You to always do the right thing. Thank You, Lord. amen~"

The next morning, Emily headed out the door for school, only to turn back inside. "Mom, you've got to see this!"

"What is it?" I asked. Still feeling bewildered.
"It's your roses!" Come see!"

I followed her out into the garden. That little rosebush I thought was dead? It now looked green and vibrant. Sprouting from it was a tight cluster of roses. Three beautiful roses-- one for Allison, one for Emily and one for me. In the language of flowers, yellow roses mean "I'm thinking of you." God was thinking of me and my girls. He always would. -- ~~
~~GUIDEPOSTS/TH~
~~"Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand"--[Isaiah 41:10][b][ "WITH ALL I AM"/ (feat.Darlene Zschech) (Hillsong)]<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ_-5JplSVg>
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