Random Act

Here's my story:  (This happened as a pre-Kindness Wins encounter, but I think it still counts!)

 

My husband & I went to BJ's on the EW Connector on Oct. 24.  We were there to shop, but there other divine plans for that timing.

 

We stopped by one of the food sample tables, where an employee was serving pumpkin cheesecake.  A very tall, over six foot, young fellow handed me a sample and as I was tasting the cheesecake, he asked me "Doesn't that taste like gingerbread?".  Of course it did, so I nodded my head "yes".  By this time, my husband was a few aisles away and was not part of the following story.  The tall fellow proceeded to tell me about when he was growing up, he and his grandparents would make these delicious gingerbread men with this certain type of electric baker.  He described the little men that this baker produced and how the Christmas season was so special for him when his now deceased grandparents and especially, his grandfather, made these cookies.  He didn't know where it had gone and mentioned that his father might have taken it when he moved out.  He said he had been looking for this type of baker online and in many stores but could not find anything that resembled it. 

 

I couldn't believe what I was hearing!  As he was talking, I was thinking about my electric gingerbread baker that lay wrapped-up at home in a closet waiting for the holiday baking season to begin.  Could this be the same type of baker he was looking for?  "You know I have one of those at home", came my reply to his astonished face.  "Give your name and number and if I find it, I'll give you a call".  This fellow, Douglas, happily obliged and I caught up with my husband, who had wondered why I took so long at the table.  We finished our shopping and then I couldn't help thinking of the baker, as we drove home.  I thought that this was Douglas' 'prayer' to have one of these.  And aren't we the feet and hands of Jesus here on Earth?  Aren't we a part of granting answers to prayers because of our partnership with the Son?  It delights God to make His children happy.  What better way to serve Him than to be kind and giving!

 

Well, I found the baker easily within 5 minutes of my arrival home and raced back to the store with it.  Unfortunately, Douglas had already left for the day, but I was able to call and arrange a meeting for the following day. 

Douglas was working in the concessions area that next day and so he was easy to find.  I gave him my package and his eyes grew wide with excitement, as he recognized a familiar character in his favorite seasonal memory.  Yes, this was The Baker!  Suddenly, Douglas was hugging me, not once or twice, but three times for this simple answer to his wish.  Such an easy wish to grant! 

 

I asked him about his father and he shared a personal detail about their relationship.  I asked Douglas if he knew Jesus and he said yes, which led me to address his struggle with some encouragement to let God help him through it.  Douglas then opened up about wanting to be a chef and we talked about how to reach that goal with a scholarship through Chattahoochee Tech.  Again, Douglas reminisced about his grandparents and their joyful tradition of baking.  He was going to have a good time this Christmas, because he wanted to honor this vibrant memory with his younger brother and sister.   I asked him his age; just 20 years old and he already had such a maturity and deep compassion for others!  My heart was impressed by this young man.

 

Later in the week, I found my deceased father's almost-new XL down-filled jacket in a closet and called to see if he needed it.  Yes, he did and I found a chance to pass it to him, along with a downloaded invite to the Dreamer's Conference.   I wonder what will happen next?