My Heart Has Wings

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 (NIV)

Danielle, over at http://daniellebatog.com/ is participating in a meme (I do not know where that name came from, perhaps someone can explain it to me). A meme is when some other blogger posts a question and you write about it in your blog. Anyway, the meme says to go into the next room, look at the tallest thing in that room and write about what is underneath it. I looked into the next room which is my kitchen, and the tallest thing in there is the refrigerator. I do not want to write about the icky things that are under my refrigerator. Neither do you want to read about the gross stuff that is lurking there. So, I will write about what I found near the bottom of the refrigerator. My refrigerator is a giant bulletin board. The top part where the freezer door is located is lined with pictures that come out of friends’ and families’ Christmas cards. There, I see their smiling faces or that of their children, and it is a reminder to pray for them. The bottom half of my refrigerator always belonged to my kids. Artwork, report cards or school papers cover that surface. Though my boys are almost all grown, youngest designs tattoos so his detailed drawings of flowers, people and even anatomical parts adore the space. My favorite is a perfect rendition of the human heart with wings attached. Close to the bottom, as though it slipped lower and lower down the door over time is one sheet of notebook paper with a boyish printed scrawl taking up most of the page. It says, “Mom I (insert heart shape here) you + I am going to pass!” This note was written by youngest during a very dark period in our life. School has always been difficult for him because he is both gifted and learning disabled. About the time he wrote this, things were at the lowest point we had experienced and there were a lot of questions about whether he would be promoted to the next grade level and even whether he would be allowed back into that school. I have written before about that time, so will not do it here, but in the short space of six weeks, due to much prayer, several miracles occurred that completely changed his life. He was right, he did pass that year. Now, he is only a few months away completing high school a semester early. He is applying to Emergency Medical Technician/Paramedic classes for the spring. I never take anything for granted with him. His success has been due to God’s grace and had nothing to do with me. Today, God put a person in my path who is brokenhearted over his child’s choices. I had a chance to tell him my son’s story. I think he found it encouraging. Three years ago, when I thought my heart would break, God knew that today, I would meet this man whose heart was also breaking. Nothing, not one second, not one tear, in our lives is wasted when God is concerned. He works good from even the darkest of times. Like youngest’s design, my heart has wings.