Finding Grace

Before I post the next installment of our series on "Where We're Headed," let's take a moment to celebrate where we've been.  Many of you have shared photos from our effort to "egg Crestview" with small blessings since Easter. Pam Callahan shared this story, and it was so good that I had to send it along. It's such a lovely reminder of how the good news we share each Sunday can become good news to others everywhere we go!

I loved the idea of the Easter Egg hiding. I thought I'd share what happened to one egg in particular.
 
Today I filled the eggs by stapling the church calling card to a $5 bill - thinking the finder would at least look at it long enough to remove the staple - and I added a note of my own.  I prayed that the Lord would tell me to where to leave each one today.
 
I left the first egg in a women's restroom at Antioch Elementary where visitors frequent and maybe a few teachers.
 
I left the second egg at Walgreen's by a photo kiosk.  

I stayed at several hours, much longer than intended, eventually forgetting that I had left an egg there.  A couple with three elementary school children came up to the first of the three kiosks.  I was at the last one.  One of the boys sat in the chair between us.  As I was finishing my order the adults had cross words with each other about the size of prints they wanted.  They sounded tired and stressed.  As I was leaving I asked the man about the comment he just made about putting a lice prevention treatment on his kindergartener's head.  I'd never heard of it and so he described in more detailed than I needed, but it seemed to distract him from the impatience he had with his wife's definition of "normal sized prints"! She placed her small order.   I thanked him for the information which I may need at some future time and walked down the aisle to pick up a few things.
 
I was about halfway to my item when the man called out, "Mam! Mam!" I turned around to see him holding the egg.  He asked if I left it there. I lied; I said, "No," since I didn't want him to give it back to me. I know God forgave me for that lie!  I continued to my sale item which was close enough that I could hear but not see the man talking to the children about checking for a name inside the egg incase some one lost it.  The kids immediately saw the money, and one asked if they could buy something.  The man shared my note and about the church card in a calm quiet voice.  His wife who had gone to the restroom came back, and he began to tell her the story and said how nice it was that someone had done that.  One of the children asked if the dad would buy them a snack with the money to which he replied, "No, this is very nice, I think we will keep it for a while"!  The couple who had, moments before, been angry, tired and grouchy walked out quietly and calmly with a new attitude!  I knew instantly that when I prayed over that egg this morning God had a plan for it! Praise be to God!
 
- Pam Callahan