Umbrella Kindness

About a month ago, it was raining so hard during my morning commute I could barely see to drive. The rain was so heavy that I felt like I was driving through Niagara Falls instead of on the 290 Expressway. After much stress and navigating intense traffic, I finally arrive at work at hour later, grabbing one of the only parking spaces left which was the farthest from the door, and reach for my umbrella.

Only my umbrella wasn’t there.

I twisted and turned in my tiny Volkswagen Jetta looking forthe great big pastel striped umbrella that I usually keep on my backseat.

No umbrella.

Rain outside so thick that I will be completely drenched by the time I walk the block and a half to the door of the corporate towers where I work.

Noooooo umbrella. I am dressed in a suit, because of an important meeting that day, my hair is in a French twist with some carefully placed curls in the front. And no umbrella.

Great, just great.

I wish I could tell you that I paused and prayed toJesus and asked for His help, but I didn’t. I was very frustrated, and just a little bit angry.

So instead I root around my car and find a flimsy, plasticgrocerybag that Ifigured I could at least drape over my head to try to save my hairdo andget out of my car to face what seems like a hurricane.

That’s when I saw her.

Atiny little Indian lady withthe biggest polka dot umbrella I’d ever seen. She was standing by the bumper of my car waiting for me.

“You need an umbrella?” She asks.

Her offer to me at that moment was as if the heavens had opened and an angelic host was singing Hallelujah.

This beautiful, gracious little lady shared her umbrella with me. We walked side by side in the biggest rain storm I had any memory of ever being in under her beautiful, big polka dot umbrella.

It was a simple yet profound act of kindness that ministered to me deeply. I wondered if I would have been sensitive enough and willing enough to do the same for her.

Her Umbrella Kindness touched me so much that, after some sleuthing, I found out her name and sent her a thank-you card. Just yesterday I received this note from her:

“Debbie, I have received the Thank you note and the gift card from you. I did not expect anything in return from you and it was truly a touching for me. I will show my kids the note you have sent and the gift card. I will tell them the true values of being a human will pay back somehow.I would like to have lunch with you whenever your schedule permits. Please let me know. Thank you.”

The warmth of Christ’s love enveloped me as I read her note and realized that my friend Jesus has much more planned for each of us than we ever realized. A friendship? A chance to share Christ’s love? I am not sure.

One thing I do know is that crazy, wet, miserable day wasn’t happenstance. No, my friend Jesus knew there was a sweet little lady with a big, beautiful polka dot umbrella whom He wanted me to meet, and He sent a rainstorm to make it happen.

Kinda reminds me of one of my favorite songs by Laura Story:

“What if my blessings comes through raindrops…” – Blessings

What about you? What terrible, frustrating, horrible days has Jesus brightened with someone’s act of kindness? Or what acts of kindness have you done to brighten someone else’s day?