The Little Things Make Such a Difference

So three months ago I wrote a little about what seemed at the time to be a, "Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad" . . . .week.  It was a lot of little things that had stacked up that had made me feel this way.

Well, this week, I just have to say that it was a couple little things that made me feel the Lord's presence in my life in such a very meaningful, encouraging way.   Funny thing is, two of these special things happened back in the same dental office that was mentioned at the mid-week point in the post above!

So this week's dental visit happened to be on our exact 30 year wedding anniversary date!  Not a real fun way to spend the morning of our anniversary, but I was feeling extra excited about the day nonetheless!

The first thing that touched my heart in a super special way was a rarely heard song that began to play over the dental office radio right as I settled in the dental chair and as the hygienist began her work.  I'm not sure I've ever heard this song played on the radio!!! But we are very familiar with it, as it is super special to our family, and is sung by our favorite, adoption-loving Christian contemporary music super star, Steven Curtis Chapman!  The song has been one of our family's theme songs, encouraging us many times in our adoption journey.  The lyrics are:

I know you've heard the stories
But they all sound too good to be true
You've heard about a place called home
But there doesn't seem to be one for you
So one more night you cry yourself to sleep
And drift off to a distant dream

Where love takes you in and everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
When love takes you home and says you belong here
The loneliness ends and a new life begins
When love takes you in

And somewhere while you're sleeping 
Someone else is dreaming too
Counting down the days until
They hold you close and say I love you
And like the rain that falls into the sea
In a moment what has been is lost in what will be

When love takes you in everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart

And this love will never let you go
There is nothing that could ever cause this love to lose its hold

When love takes you in everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
When love takes you home and says you belong here
The loneliness ends and a new life begins
When love takes you in it takes you in for good
When love takes you in

As I lay there in the chair, being able to really hear and listen to the lyrics once more, my heart soared with this special encouragement.  I just sensed that is was like a little hug from my Heavenly Father, encouraging my heart in what continues to be a very difficult adoption journey.

And then, as I was standing at the receptionist counter checking out I noticed a little sign sitting on the credenza on the back wall . . .

What?  What are the odds of a a chalkboard sign propped up in the dental office that simply says "30 Years" on the exact day of our 30th anniversary?!!!!   I'm not sure what that sign meant for them, but for me, I took it again as another little hug from my Heavenly Father, cheering us on in our marriage of 30 years.

The past 2 1/2 years have been challenging, and have definitely taken a toll on our marriage.  Interestingly, with adoption and marriage being central themes/reflections (and at the very heart of) the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they also can be huge targets for our enemy to take aim at, in his efforts to kill, steal and destroy all that is good and Godly.

I have so often felt discouraged in both of these areas, and so to be encouraged specifically with the special song and the sign that day . . . just two tiny, but very specific little things, that definitely made for a terrific, marvelous, wonderful, very good day!!!