In the process of emptying out a buffet that I had advertised
for sale, I came across some paperwork with the name of an
acquaintance. Ed lives down the street from me. He was an
art appraiser prior to retiring and helped me evaluate a
few screen prints a year ago. I hadn’t thought about Ed for
a while, and certainly had forgotten his name, as we rarely
cross paths. So with that renewed memory in my brain, I
threw the paperwork away and continued with the task at
hand.
That evening I was enjoying one of our community’s pool
and spa with my next door female friend. After soaking and
talking for quite a while, I was surprised to be stung by a
bee in my upper arm. In the distant past I have had serious
swelling from bee stings, and so became quite concerned
right away. An old Native American treatment of wetted
tobacco pressed onto the sting area and held there with a
bandage had worked for me before. I immediately began
thinking about what nearby neighbor was a smoker, and
would be up at that hour of the night.
As my friend and I quickly drove home from the spa, we
passed Ed’s house. I could see lights on and the flicker of a
TV screen. I knew from our connection a year ago that Ed
was a smoker. Knocking at his door at the late hour caused
some concern within the house. However, after introducing
myself and being able to mention Ed’s name and how I
knew him, I was invited in. I apologized for disturbing
them, and explained my situation with the bee sting. When
I asked for a cigarette in order to use the tobacco, Ed
graciously produced one. His response was swift and caring.
I thanked him and was on my way.
At home, applying the tobacco to the bee sting area and
securing it with a band aid, I thought about how God had
that very afternoon reminded me of Ed’s name just hours
before He knew I would need it. Once again I was reminded
that God is good all the time, and His timing is perfect as He
cares for us.
— Cheri Appel
Palm Desert, CA
Divine Interventions
FROM ASHES TO JOY
“Our old house burned down.” Thus my husband greeted
me one frigid January day in 2014.
With shock and dismay, we drove to view the damage.
The roof, held in place by 170-year-old timbers, was intact.
But between those timbers was empty charred space where
our children’s bedrooms had been. We had bought the
handyman’s special as newlyweds, brought our new babies
into it, and spent most of 25 years making it as comfortable
and presentable as the budget would allow. Then in 2000,
with a son in South Korea with the Air Force and a daughter
starting her final year of college, we found a charming
Tudor-style house in town — smaller, 100 years newer, and
closer to our jobs and the pharmacy.
Energetic young parents of a two-year-old were excited
to buy our old farmhouse and began to renovate it, hoping
to fill some of the four bedrooms with more children. The
tired old house took on new life under their regime; the
empty bedrooms did not.
We grieved the new owners’ loss as well as our own sweat
equity and were greatly relieved to learn that the blaze was
not a result of any of our amateur electrical projects.
The community rallied around the family who had been
left with a garage, two dogs, a rabbit and hutch, a mailbox,
two bikes, and a sundial. Fund-raisers were held and house-
hold goods were collected. A temporary home was offered
from someone’s estate.
In a few weeks’ time, the charred timbers became a pile
of rubble which mercifully was bull-dozed. Grass was
planted on the site and a new septic system replaced our
three cesspools, satisfying the township code.
The family celebrated our Savior’s birth in a brand-new
rancher on the spot where I had once hung diapers every
other day. Speaking of diapers….a brand-new baby daughter
joined the family mid-way through the ordeal — joining her
16-year-old brother!
As I ponder the events of this tragedy and new life, I am
reminded of God’s promise…to give unto them beauty for
ashes, the oil of joy for mourning…” (Isaiah 61:3b KJV).
— Donna S. Bond
Shiloh SDB Church, NJ
30 Old Cohansey Road
January 29, 2014 and
December 2014
10
November 2015 SR
