In the right place at the right time

Wow.  Tonight, Chris and I went to a meeting at our church that was just for adults.  We left all of the kiddies minus Lilly Lu.  It was an inspirational meeting and I found myself hearing many messages that I definitely needed to hear, but the most important message of all came after the meeting.  We were heading out to our car (I forgot the handicap tag, so it was a normal spot.  This makes it hard for Chris to get in if a car parks next to us) and saw that someone had parked next to us.  Chris commented that I might need to move the car when we discovered that the guy walking behind us was the owner of the car.  He asked if Chris would be able to get in and then asked if Chris had suffered a stroke.  We had never met him before, but found out that he had a stroke when he was 37.  He talked to us for quite a while, giving us many words of wisdom.  It had been 10 years since his stroke and he was completely normal.  His best piece of advice?  When someone tells you that you have recovered as much as you can, that just means it is time for you to work harder.  Just last night, Chris was really struggling over this exact thing.   

Some might call this a coincidence.  Not me!  That we would happen to park next to another guy who suffered a stroke at a young age and would be an inspiration, after a very tough day yesterday, is nothing short of a miracle.  I love this talk about the tender mercies of God and this was nothing short of Heavenly Father reaching out to Chris to give him some extra support.   I feel so grateful to this man who was willing to talk to a perfect stranger and really comfort him.  I think of us, as parents, watching one of  the girls learning to walk.  You are standing there, hovering over them, trying to let them do it on their own, but waiting to step in.  You them to do as much as they can, but you are ready to jump in and pick them up as soon as they fall.  I envision God doing the same thing.  Watching Chris go through this (cheering him along), but ready to send in "extra troops" like this man when Chris starts feeling overwhelmed and defeated.  I feel very grateful tonight.  

Side note: The other point that this nice man emphasized was that he wished that he had thanked and appreciated his wife more.  I just wanted to get that in writing *just in case* Chris might not have been listening. ;)