Wow God!

This morning, as every morning, I woke up to the music of K-Love. It's "Wow God Wednesday"--every Wednesday people call in and tell their stories about something that God did in their lives that would cause you to think or even say aloud, "Wow, God".
I laid there in bed thinking about the first time (and there have been many now) that I have actually said, "Wow, God".

It was 2 years ago this Christmas season--Dec. 2008. Chuck had passed away in March of that year. His death really caused me to question my belief in God. I couldn't understand why God would want to take such an awesome man from this earth--away from me and his girls and his grandchilren that he loved dearly. We had been through so much in our 40 years together and had just recently found a church home at
Woods Chapel United Methodist Church. I had never been a part of a church family--had never really even been a believer. But Chuck was--and he helped get me there. And then God took him away. Not fair, right?

Well, on one particular evening in December of that year, I was one of about 7 or 8 people (Santa's elves) that were to deliver Christmas gifts to families. We met up at WCC, picked up Santa and headed out with bags of gifts, Santa hats and bells. We delivered to a family over on Paseo first. It was nice--the children enjoyed Santa and we took pictures and then headed on to the next location over on Independence Ave. As we drove, Missy tells me that the place we're looking for doesn't really look like a house--it looks like a business. This reminds me of the time that Chuck drove me by the place he lived as a young boy with his mom and 2 brothers on Independence Avenue. They lived in an apartment above a business--a grocery store I think, and he used to always talk about how poor they were and that the only pets he ever had were cockroaches.

So, as we get closer to our next delivery location, I realize we are in that same area. I started getting a weird feeling inside. Suddenly Missy says, "Here! This is it." I'm speechless now--freaking out actually. It was the building that Chuck and his family lived in--I was sure of it. We turned onto a little side street and then parked in the back. Now I'm not speechless anymore and I'm going on and on to Missy and anyone that will listen that I KNOW this is where Chuck lived as a boy in the 1950s. We walk up a flight of stairs on the back to the apartment. I'm in some what of a shock at this point--taking in every inch of that place imagining my husband as a small boy and the Christmas' that he had there. This was a single mom and she had 3 children--one of them was a boy. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. At one point, I took the mom aside and asked if there was an elementary school at the end of the side street we had driven down. She said "yes". I knew I was right. I got so choked up. What an amazing thing this was for me. And it got better.

After leaving everyone at the church that night, and driving home alone in my car listening to the haunting song, Christmas Canon by the Trans-siberian Orchestra, I couldn't stop crying. I felt sad, I felt wonderful, I felt scared, I felt blessed. In my mind I kept wondering, "Is this some sign from God? Some gift for me to help me get over the loss? And at that moment--that very moment, the bells on the passenger seat rolled over just enough to jingle. I lost it. I could barely see the road through my tears. I got my answer. It was wonderful.

Merry Christmas!!