Angels and mercies

I am so thankful for people who bless our lives! There are many of you who bless mine in large ways, and then there are those random encounters that bring the Lord's love into the day. This blog is the story of one of the first and one of the second.
So, this evening I took the saddest final of law school. Not the worst, just the saddest. More about that - for now, let it suffice that I was near tears.I had planned on going to watch Nancy's championship intramural basketball game after, but by the time I got out of there it was over. [side note: Nancy and her team just won the intramural football championship, now she's playing for the championship b-ball game (3 on 3) - how do we fit together?] Anyway, that made me sad too. And then just everything from the last week or so. This whole finals time has been - not bad or stressful necessarily, just sad. Anyway, I digress. So, I was driving home thinking about how I would not cry and with a little time between me and the final I would be okay. And I was hungry. And I need to go grocery shopping - which I keep putting off because it will wait and my finals are NOW. But today I made rolls for my graduate English class, so at least I have something. Guess what I had for breakfast. And lunch. But they're good - and at least it's something. Mostly I kept thinking, what would be really nice is to have something, anything waiting for me at my house - a note, flowers, something. I kept thinking about this the whole drive home. But of course that's not going to happen - it seldom does on these kinds of days.
So I parked Hidalgo and tried to think some more of the many blessings I have. And then I came around to my apartment, and guess what - yes - there on my stairs was a loaf of some kind of sweetbread. It didn't really matter what it was, it was something for me! That in and of itself was enough.
But, it gets better. I went to ask DeeDee if it was from her, and thank her (because I was pretty sure it was). She and Mary were watching t.v. and I told them briefly why it was extra nice to get the bread. And DeeDee says, Oh, you're just getting home? Do you want some chicken? She had a rotisserie chicken, so with her pulling a hundred things out of the fridge, I made a delicious chicken sandwich. And visited with them - they are so sweet anytime and especially tonight. And then (besides something waiting for me, and a yummy supper and nice, sympathetic people) they were watching Law and Order. I'm not a big fan of such shows (any t.v. shows?) but was kind of watching while I ate and visited (they always talk while watching). And guess what. On the show (like on every episode) they make some remark about evidence related information. And they were wrong. And I knew why. And I could work through the hearsay rules and know the real way they could have gotten that evidence admitted. And it made me feel better about myself - I've really, truly learned stuff this semester. Isn't that fantastic? It was a reminder that while I may not perform well in my classes this semester, I have actually understood and learned the material this time around (unlike some of the other classes) and that means I'll remember more of it. Little thing, I know, but it added to me feeling better. It's like each thing that I needed this evening was put on a little list and checked off. :)
Now, my random angel story. So, my test I took earlier. I've worked really hard in this class and have done well on the mini-midterms. I studied and knew the material for the final. But I went way too slow. My teacher warned us about this, he did, but I just dwadled. And I left the biggest question - worth 28 points, or 28% of the whole class - until the end. And I will be lucky if I get 3 points on that section, because I didn't answer most of it. So, I was sick about that. I had 2 hours and 10 minutes to do it - including printing it off. Well, I was frustrated, out of time and ready to cry, but calmly sent my job to the printer with about 5 minutes to go. I walk over to the printer with my signature card (to pay for it) and swipe the card. It comes up, but my mind had beat the message - with a sickening feeling I remembered that I'd used up most of my money on Saturday printing out a 50 page outline for Evidence. I was 3 cents - that right, 3 measly pennies - short. And it takes way longer than I had to put more money on the card. So, I asked a girl sitting there if I could use her card. She said yes, with no hesitation. Went to print and remembered, oh it only shows up under my net id. great. So, I had to go back into the room where my computer was, bring it out - she already had her net i.d. written on a paper, ready for me. I put it in and printed. With all that it was only 1 minute late (there go some more points!). I went back and collected my things and went back out to pay the girl. But she was gone. I am so, so thankful for her though. Bless her. I never looked at her card, so don't know her name. Later, pumping gas the 6 letters of her i.d. came back to memory - I think. I wrote them down and need to find a way to look people up by net id. To pay her at the least. I'm just feeling grateful for the little things that helped me make it through. There were many, many good things earlier today, but somehow the little good things in the midst of the bad shine so brightly!