Was so!

Sometimes, autism makes its way through the woods in tennis shoes, other times, it stomps around in giant's boots. It has been stomping lately and a visit last week to the DAN doctor showed some concerns that her gut is not healing like it should be. That being as it is, I have once again been divinely startled. Those times that God flashes out his love to me like a strobe light always takes me off guard. I am always surprised that He could care. I have been trying to convince everyone around me that angels were sent to aid me last week, but no one believes me....ok, it could have just been plain ordinary humans doing something they didn't understand the significance of...but really isn't angels so much more, well, startling?

Last week, I had to make it to the grocery store in order to get something to eat for supper. It was 4:00 in the day and by this time, Skye, my two year old, is far beyond the reaches of good behaviour. It is also a difficult time for Scarlet. I went to Price Choppers because it was close and cheap, unfortunately, I forgot to secure a 25 cent piece as dues for my cart. I never have the right change when I am at those pay for your buggy kind of places. I did manage to find dimes and nickels enough to equal 25 cents and I was hoping to find someone who would trade money with me. This particular afternoon, there were not many people in the parking lot and the carts were located just outside of the store. A couple of people came in and out, but I was still trying to unload my girls without incident. As I was mustering up the courage to take on this shopping task, mentally working out all the possibilities, I noticed a lone FREE cart sitting sideways on the sidewalk. Instantly I sped into action, whipping of the seatbelts in Skye's car seat, whisking her like a monkey to my hip, running to Scarlet's side and heaving her out of the door with my free hand. This was the amazing race and I was going to win......a free grocery cart!!!! Except, a nice little lady, who had no one to help out of her car, managed to rejoice in the conquest of the aforementioned grocery cart just as I rounded the corner of my van yelling "quick feet!" to Scarlet.

I was not able to corner anyone for change so I decided that I should just hurry through the store, get my three items, and get home....maybe not a realistic challenge. I realized as I grabbed the grocery basket, that I now had no hand left for Skye. Scarlet can never be let loose in a grocery store, it is certain mayhem. Skye, is two and very capricious. We tried getting pears into a plastic bag, Skye who I just discovered was shoeless, was running around looking for things to eat on the floor, Scarlet was looking for stray produce to grasp with her eagle like swiftness and I was remembering why it is impossible to get pears into a plastic bag with just one hand. The realization was dawning that if I kept this endeavor up, I would likely be legend in Price Chopper lore for many years to come.

I let go of Scarlet in order to at least fill my bag with pears, she ran away, I ran after her leaving Skye squatting on the floor eating a grape and looking for a more interesting place in the store to discover. I grabbed Scarlet, tugged her over to her sister, threw skye on my hip, scolding her as I looked for my displaced basket and decided never to try this again. I was looking to make my way out of the store and was planning to stand and beg on the sidewalk until I found a buggy. I felt like crying, but big girls don't....I should have been praying, but God saw me without my screaming....or maybe he just heard the desperation inside my chest. At any rate, two women entered the store with a grocery cart and looked to be interested in shopping. I saw them because they were in the way of me getting out of the store. I was going to go beyond them, when they promptly left the buggy where it was and exited the store... I felt like a kid who had just found a 20 dollar bill laying on the side of the road. I looked around, looked around again, and realized that this was just a gift. It was God being God. I was divinely startled. I feel like I should have it tatood on my forehead "divinely startled". So, what do you think, angel or human....I've got my suspicions.