I have some funny stories about me and the Holy Spirit lately.
A couple weeks ago, I was dumping out a water filled trash can in the back yard, there was some stuff that had fallen in the can like an empty hanging basket so I couldn't see the bottom, and the Holy Spirit said to me "there's a dead animal in there". GAH! Yikes! Gross!
Don't you know it, I started to slowly dump it out... and don't you know... there was a dead rat in there. GAH. I dumped enough water out so I could dump the rest in the garbage can. What a bad ass I felt like. But also can you imagine if I hadn't been warned about that little creep in there. I shudder to think about it.
but on to a much better story.
I was making dinner for the parents of my friend from work. His father has cancer and his mom is the care taker. if anyone needed a Margie Meal, it was them. When I went to take out the ground beef (also known as hamburger 😆) for the baked spaghetti, the Holy Spirit said to take out the chicken legs. I don't need chicken legs for anything. I took them out and put them back in. TAKE OUT THE CHICKEN LEGS the voice was a little stronger. Hmmmm. I guess I need to make something for myself - I'll just eat chicken legs for the next couple days. So I pulled them out. I had no idea what was about to happen next.
The next morning, I text a friend... hey friend how are you? And she tells me she's home now and confirmed symptoms to a diagnosis (not sharing to protect her privacy). WHAT THE WHAT? Home now? so you know I offered to make her a meal, told her I had chicken legs (LOL) and that the Holy Spirit told me to pull them out. No answer. ugh. so I made them anyway. I marinated them like I always do and then topped and cooked them with teriyaki (homemade) sauce and made rice and broccoli. Simple meal.
I never got an answer from her... I figured she had been sleeping most of the day and not on her phone. So I packed up both meals, dropped off one and called her and asked again, yes. The answer was yes. I know it's funny to go through all that with no real answer of whether she needed a meal or not.
I knew deep down in my heart she & her family needed the meal.
I knew that I would never have such a feeling about pulling out chicken legs for nothing.
I have a fully stocked pantry and freezer for just these occasions. I've started having more basic items because I normally make everything from homemade and basics it's easier.
Grape jelly + chili sauce makes great BBQ sauce - and I already use grape jelly for sandwiches and grape jelly and chili sauce for meatball appetizer. Rice, beans, basics. it makes things more versatile and less things that don't get used up. Eliminate waste. Plus what the heck? who can afford to buy tons of different things, groceries cost so much!
My life has seemed to become even more thoughtful and intentional than it's been before. It takes a lot of thought and takes time, but in the search for love, I found that it is me who carries love. With thought and intention. In a hug, in a meal, intentional listening, being thankful.
I've never been happier and had more joy... and sometimes it's in chicken legs.
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