'A Little Ch-Angel'

There are those days when you are running in high gear, speeding through your day with lots on your plate, with only the few spare seconds of one moment to plan what you'll be doing the next. Those are the times, most often, when I find that God puts road blocks in your way to force you to stop and take inventory of the good stuff in your life! Far too often we are moving too swiftly to admire the scenery and our blessings.

Yesterday, amid the myriad of 'things to do,' I was grocery shopping . . . only to be contemplating about what still needed to be done at home. All I wanted was an onion. I waited patiently while the woman with her cart parked directly in front of all the onions browsed. When she finished, she looked at me and stared. Uh oh! She spoke, "I know you."

Now I have come across many, many folks in all my years of working and volunteering. If I had my husband's memory, I could come up with names at the drop of a hat. Unfortunately, I remember faces, but names always elude me. Turns out she is the housekeeper for my son's girlfriend's family. So I was forced to listen, for a good ten or more minutes, about what an incredible son I have! That was torture!   :-)

In the frozen foods, another familiar face without a name. Dangit! This one spoke as well, to her grand daughter, "She's gonna walk right by and not even say 'hi!'." So, of course, I stop. It was my neighbor, a lovely soul who just is a peach. We chatted for a while and now my thoughts for later on are a bit more scattered and frayed.

And then . . . boom . . . right smack dab into another friend whom I have known for a good solid decade . . . a 'Little' Ch-Angel. Our kids have grown up together and this woman, as I pondered a little later on, has always been a wonderful friend to me. She literally supported me when Miles was sick and going through treatment. She helped me through more times than I can remember. She supported all of our fundraising antics and I even turned her on to a few extras that I believe she's still enjoying. She was willing to stand up for me, in the midst of the 'i-pod fundraising scandal', and came to stand by me through what ended up being a serious inquisition. She dragged me through the streets of Vegas and for three days we just laughed and had a fabulous time. She and I have trudge through college admissions nonsense together and tons more . . . together. Outside activities tend to keep us moving in different circles, but rest assured that on any given day, when we meet up again, my 'Little' Ch-Angel brings a smile to my face and a warmth to my heart.

Her kindness is a wonderful magic that I adore. She is generous, to a fault; steadfast, to the point of scary; and loyal, like a Labrador. She is a beautiful spirit, rich in heart and love with a radiant smile that lights up every day. Thanks, my 'Little' Ch-Angel, for making me stop and take notice of the blessings I have all around me.

The rest of yesterday kind of melted into chaos . . . and I did not care!  :-)