It was a beautiful morning full of sunshine and blue skies. It started out normal waking up at a fairly reasonable time, enjoying my morning with my maker then settling in to catch up with the nightly messages from my friends on twitter and continuing my writing adventure with Holly.
I sat there thinking how blessed I was that we weren't paid a visit from our stinky nighttime visitor who had twice visited me this past week -- a neighborhood skunk spraying his or her wonderful scent to attack a mate.
My BH was home safely away from Isaac after being gone for a few days in Florida, but was sleeping in.
I had put off grocery shopping during the week anticipating getting it done on Friday so we would have wonderful food for the weekend. But as luck had it my Friday drastically changed so the shopping was put off until this morning.
I wanted; I should say I had to be home by 10am to watch my favorite show, Burn Notice, so I arrived in plenty of time to get it done.
I currently live in a state where they have bottle deposits on soda and beer. I always take the empty bottles back on each visit to the store because I detest letting them accumulated.
Happily arriving at the store after such a wonderful blessed morning, I bounced into the bottle return room only to discover it was dark and none of the machines working. The power was out. Determined not to let this interfere with my mood, I just returned the bag to the car and started walking towards the store to complete my shopping. A cart retrieval person, customer service rep, was in the parking lot gathering carts to return to the store for their customers.
"I gather the power's out?" I asked.
"Yes, but you can still shop. The registers are working."
So on I went into the dimly lit interior of the super store, trying to keep my hope up that this wouldn't present any problems. It was quite romantic and very pleasant shopping in the dark. Most people were turning around and leaving, so there were very few people in the store.
The shelves weren't fully stocked, the meat department personnel were quickly covering the items to keep them chilled but I was successful in finding all of the items on my list.
I returned home just in time to see Burn Notice, my favorite show on TV, sending tweets out to the universe hoping to get a response then watched White Collar another TV series I enjoy.
After the shows concluded I sat by my computer admiring the wonderful sunlight streaming through the window in an adjacent room and decided to look out the front door.
After I opened the door and peered outside I noticed a small gift bag, with poke-a-dot tissue paper sitting on one of the steps. My first thought was who left that, immediately followed by the thought it might be a bomb.
I had to laugh at myself because of such a drastic thought and realized maybe I have been watching too many crime shows on TV or maybe I was attracted to them for this very moment. I quickly ran back to get advice from twitter because BH was away from home golfing with his friends. Alas no response.
I went back to the door and examined the package again through glass then slowly made my way outside to see if there was a visible note. No, there wasn't. So back inside to see if twitter responded to my question of what to do. No luck. So back I went determined to settle the mystery of gift bag.
Luckily I glanced across the street only to discover they also had a gift bag with tissue sitting on their porch. I approached the street and took a walk towards my next door neighbors to see if they also had been paid a visit. Sure enough they also had a bag. Each bag was a different color as well as the tissue paper.
How interesting. Either we all receive a gift from an anonymous stranger or someone wanted to blow up the entire block. Either one was possible.
So back home I went deciding someone had to be brave to protect the neighborhood in the event they were all bombs. I slowly lifted to bag and removed the tissue only to discover a mug resting on its side at the bottom. Another trap? I slowly lifted the mug out of the bag and it had writing on both sides. The words "Hope" in small letters filled the outside of the mug with a large "Hope" in the center on each side. There was card inside so I lifted it out without reading thinking it was only a description of the mug. We had been visited by angels.
I searched the bottom and sides of the bag to find a tag indicating who it was from with no luck. I then examined the small card inside the mug again. It was a note inviting the recipient to come to their church this coming Sunday to fill their new mug with Starbucks coffee and join them in fun and worship.
What a wonderful gesture from a church. Instead of knocking, then personally inviting each person in the neighborhood resulting with their visit forgotten months from now, they left everyone a present instead.
I have been taking care of a neighbor's cats while he is away on vacation and today was the last day since he will be back home tomorrow. I went to feed them and thought of the bag awaiting him on his return. The sinful side of me said to take the bag home with me because he wouldn't even know it existed, then both BH and I would have a mug from an angel but decided that wasn't right.
Then I recalled my elderly neighbor was recently admitted to a nursing facility. I could take hers. I quickly went over to her house only to discover someone else must have had that same idea, because hers was gone. I quickly went back to my other neighbor's house where I was cat sitting and took his bag and went into his house to feed and spend some time with his cats.
I gently lifted the tissue only to discover his mug was different. Mine was white on the exterior with sea green lettering and a sea green interior. Whereas his was purple with the words "peace" written on the mug.
I sat there petting Blitzen, his black and white cat, and thought they were angels who had visited us and each had a message for us.
BH and I are at peace, whereas I need hope and maybe BH as well. I thought about my neighbor's life, that I knew of, and he needs peace. How insightful those random placed mugs landed on each of our doorsteps. I now wonder what my wonderful elderly neighbor's mug said, and regret that someone took hers. It might have been very uplifting for her to have that in her room in the nursing home at this time.
Whether any of us visit that church we will always be reminded of the wonderful gesture and message on those mugs. We all received a blessing from the angels, messengers from God, today.
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