Blessings in Disguise

Yesterday was, in all definitions, terrible. Lydia, who had been running a fever since Tuesday afternoon, went to the doctor for the second time to try to figure out what was wrong and there was a rediculously long wait. I had my interview to receive food-stamps, which the workers are never in a good mood and treat everyone like liars and cheaters. Lydia, who was obviously in incredible pain, screamed bloody murder all afternoon. And, during my moment that was supposed to be a break from all the stresses (a night out with the girls), my car breaks down halfway to the restaurant. In the words of Alexander (a movie I enjoyed watching as a kid) it was an "Awful, Terrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day!"
But (yes there is a "but" in all of this) it was also an incredible day! Through all of this terrible day, I have seen the hand of God. He seems to have known how difficult the day was and made little miracles happen along the way. So, here is a deeper look at my day:
1. I took Lydia to the doctor. Yes, there were a ton of sick, coughing, runny nosed kids in the waiting room where we were for well over an hour, BUT the doctor we saw was incredible! She was so sympathetic toward Lydia and I, that she made sure she found a way to possible help Lydia rather than just sending us away like the previous doctor had done a couple days before. Lydia is being treated for an ear infection, which I am convinced is really something that Lydia has because she began pulling at her ears a bunch last night. So, we were able to get her started on the medicine right away.
2. I had my interview to receive food-stamps benefits. Anyone who has ever gone through this process (at least in Galveston) knows that it is a miserable experience that only the truly desperate for assistance will endure through. The case workers are almost always in incredibly cranky moods and don't want to hear anything that you have to say to explain your situation. You only speak when spoken to and only say what they have asked for, otherwise you will get an earful and will end up leaving in tears. Actually, I can't remember a single encounter with them that hasn't involved some sort of tears! Anyway, it's a very stressful experience. I hope I've painted the picture well enough for you to see. However, you also never seem to know exactly what questions to expect during the interview, so you always think that you're prepared but they'll throw something new at you that you were not prepared for.
Well, here's the miracle of all of it. I have been bugging David for a long time now to clean his side of the bedroom. There are always so many random papers and stuff all over that it drives me crazy! So, in order to distract myself while I waited for the case worker to call (always a tedious wait!) I started cleaning his side of the bed. I got most of it well enough organized. Then the caseworker called. And guess what random question they threw at me this time! How much my car insurance costs each month. Not a question that I had been asked before nor one that I knew off the top of my head. But she wanted the answer right then and there. But, miraculously, as I had been cleaning I had seen our car insurance policy and was able to quickly grab it and give her the number. I know that the spirit was what prompted me to clean when I did and made sure that paper was there that I needed! What a blessing!
3. Lydia's screaming. Well, unfortunately I don't have a specific blessing associated with this other than that it was a beautiful day and we were able to enjoy a walk outside together. This was my trick to convince her to eat some food because otherwise she wasn't calm enough to chew her food up without choking. So, the beautiful day was a true blessing!
4. The car. Well, there are a lot of blessings associated with this one. First of all, the timing of it all. It didn't happen at a time when we needed to be somewhere at a certain time. We had already been to all of our appointments and classes for the day. I was simply going out to eat. Second, the car broke down in a convenient location. It wasn't on a freeway or far away from home. I was only a few miles away. I was slowing down for a stop light when it quit and there were no cars in front or behind me. I was able to safely roll into the median, out of traffic, and turn on my hazard lights. Third, it was Mardi Gras weekend, which meant there were several cops driving around. I was able to easily wave down a cop who called for back up and they pushed me into a parking lot. Fourth, one of my friends picked me up and took me to the restaurant so that I was still able to have a break from everything before facing reality again. Fifth, and so on, we have so many incredible people in our lives who will not hesitate to help us out. We've been so blessed.
So, all in all, I'd say it was a good day. Maybe this is the reason God wanted me to go through all of this, so that I could recognize His hand in all things. He truly was watching over me and my family in this challenging time. I'm so grateful for all of this!
And, as I mentioned before, it's Mardi Gras weekend! This is a HUGE thing in Galveston and we still got to take part this year! Lydia experienced her first parade and was shocked by it all. Mostly by the noise, I think. She clung pretty tightly throughout the whole thing, but seemed to enjoy getting all the beads. And No, during the daytime parades you do not need to flash people to get beads. It was a great time had by all! Anyone who wants to join us next year is welcome!



And here is a fun video of Lydia for y'all to enjoy! Lydia recently started copying us when we nod and shake our heads. Sorry for the camera shakiness, I don't do well holding a camera still and shaking my head at the same time apparently.