Have you ever had one of those days where you had an almost “perfect” day? Well, I did this past week. Each year in December on the Friday before our anniversary, Cathy and I go into Seattle to Christmas shop, see all the lights and decorations and then go out to dinner. It has become somewhat of a tradition for us and one that we really look forward to.
So once again this year we headed out on a very cold but sunny afternoon and arrived in Seattle, where we proceeded to go to our usual Starbucks and get our favorite drinks. (This too, is tradition!) We then spent a couple hours wandering around the downtown stores and admiring all the beautiful decorations.
As we were waiting at a crosswalk a man and woman approached us and asked if we liked the theater . . . we said, “Yes”. They told us they had two tickets to opening night at the 5th Avenue Theater to see “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” and since they weren’t able to use them they asked if we would like to have them . . . FREE of charge! Well YES!!! They handed them to us and said, “Merry Christmas” as they walked away. We just stood there in amazement.
As it got dark the lights of the city came on and lit everything in beautiful colors. There were groups of carolers everywhere lining the streets as this night was the famous “Figgy Pudding” caroling contest. What fun we had stopping and listening to the carolers sing the songs of Christmas. We grabbed a bite to eat and then walked up to the 5th Avenue Theater and for the next several hours enjoyed a wonderful musical production.
It’s funny how God sometimes just blesses us unexpectedly. Cathy and I call this “The blessings of God”!
Remember I said it was an almost “perfect” day? There was a sad moment when we were walking down the crowded street and we came upon a young woman and her boyfriend standing on the street corner holding a sign that said, “My life is worthless.” As I passed her I felt such sadness . . . and then I stopped. I knew I had to go talk to her. So I walked up and asked her why she felt her life had no meaning. She proceeded to tell me her story. When she was finished I looked right at her and said, “Your life does have meaning and you are important to God.” Her boyfriend just rolled his eyes but she looked right back at me and said, “Thank you, I needed to hear that.”
In retrospect maybe this was a “perfect” day after all. Cathy and I had a wonderful time together and I had the privilege of sharing Christ’s love with someone who truly needed it. It really doesn't get any better than that! Merry Christmas!