Yes I really had plans.
But the painters changed my plans.
I was going to have a special post today about Christmas Tree Ornaments but seeing as we can't get our tree up yet because of the painting of the house, my plans were ruined.
So I shall tell you about last Friday instead when yet again
I had plans; but my plans were changed.
Notice I didn't say ruined this time because how the day turned out was not a ruin.
I may have mentioned before that I would love to have a
but alas even after all my overhauling of the house this year I am still so far from this ideal.
I could blame it on the painters at the moment and that would be a good excuse and a true reason because we had to clear out rooms to other rooms and that just causes more mess and lot's of things end up not even being in their proper rooms let alone being in their right, exact, place.
Anyway back to Friday.
It was Black Friday and when we lived in the US we did not go shopping on that day because of the crowds but of course in Northern Ireland we didn't have Black Friday - until this year.
I saw some things on the internet about shops having special sales over the weekend but did not register the fact that it was related to Black Friday and I just never linked any thought in my head to how that might mean busy, busy, shops and Shopping Centres.
I had arranged to have coffee with 2 friends from church at 2.30pm in the town where our church is which is 20 mins from our home. Then on Thursday night I decided that I would also go to a large Shopping Centre on Friday 10 mins further on from the town and get some Christmas Cards (there's another story for you sometime too), a wedding gift, some other little things and also post my Christmas cards that were ready to go to the US and South Korea. I worked out the timing and knew what time I would have to leave home so that I would have plenty of time to do that and be back to meet my friends for coffee.
So on Friday morning after breakfast, my bible reading, emails, list made out for what I wanted to get, checking my blog post was finished & scheduled for that afternoon and a couple of cups of coffee I was ready to get my handbag and keys and head off.
That was when I couldn't find
(no not my keys)
my little wallet with my credit card and debit card and store cards in it.
I searched upstairs and downstairs and in the last few handbags I had used, then pondered over in my mind the last time I could remember using any of my cards and I couldn't remember.
Not having found it and not remembering anything to help me I prayed that I hadn't lost it outside the house and felt sure that I hadn't. Then I prayed that God would remind me where to look.
No inspiration came, and I have to say that type of inspiration has come often enough in the past, so I just started and searched all the same places again because I knew I must have just overlooked it.
Now that had taken me quite some time.
I would not now have enough time to do all that I had intended and indeed did not have enough cash to do all of it.
My plans were ruined (well would at least have to be changed).
So I decided I would just go to the Post Office to post my cards and call in at the Bible Book Shop to get more Christmas Cards before that Coffee Date with my friends.
But even that was not going to happen.
As I drove along in the car I heard a message ding in my phone which lay in the front seat beside me.
I don't normally stop for a message but there was a good spot to pull in just a bit ahead so I did just that.
It was a message from a friend who had got some news that bothered her and I could tell she was quite upset and wasn't sure what to do about it.
I messaged back and said where I was and if she was home I could be with her in about 15 mins.
She said yes please and off I drove again.
I really did not have much experience in the matter that was troubling her so I prayed about what to do and suddenly remembered that another friend would know more than me. This other friend lived on the way and I knew she was probably at home so I called her, explained briefly what had happened, and asked if she would like to come with me.
Give me 5 mins and I'll be ready, was her reply.
Well an hour later when our friend was feeling much better and things had been set in motion to sort out her situation I mentioned about how I had been planning to go to the Shopping Centre earlier but couldn't go because I couldn't find my cards.
The two of them laughed at me and said I wouldn't have wanted to be there because there had been trouble between shoppers because of Black Friday Bargains and the police had been called.
Not only would I have not wanted to be there when there was fighting over products but I would also have hated it being so busy.
So not being able to find my cards had stopped me being there.
Good Change of Plans I was thinking.
Then I realised that if I had been at the Shopping Centre my phone would have been in my handbag and I would not have heard the message come in (anyone that knows me well will know that sometimes I don't even hear calls coming through). I would not have known our friend needed help and I wouldn't have been available to take my other friend (who cannot drive at the moment) to help her .
So not being able to find my cards not only kept me from being at the Shopping Centre but meant that I was in the right place at the right time with the car to be of help.
Good Change of Plans I was thinking.
No. Great Change of Plans!
These are the things that may seem like little things, but these are the things that demonstrate how much God cares for each of us.
God cared that our friend was getting news that would upset her.
He had the whole process in His plan so that she would know she was not on her own and by this I don't mean about us, I mean that God was with her and that He was in control of the situation.
Over an hour and a half later than arranged I was sitting having coffee with my friends. Were they annoyed? No, they were very gracious because they knew someone had needed a helping hand.
I really enjoyed that coffee and the scone with strawberry jam, that I probably should not have been eating, as we all laughed about the fact that I didn't know it was Black Friday.
Oh and the cards?
Well I found them on Saturday of course.
Where?
In one of the places I had searched twice on Friday! Where else?