There are times when it feels as if God is smiling down on me more some days than others. Yesterday was one of those days. At least that’s how I felt when the predictions for darn near perfect weather were coming true the morning of my 4th-annual summer BBQ. This year’s party promised a live band, dance floor, two tents, 20 pounds of homemade BBQ pulled pork, 250 water balloons, and a large number of enthusiastic guests. Not your everyday backyard BBQ. I don’t even own a grill.
I have to admit I questioned the notion of God’s smile when a pipe from my well burst a mere 3 hours before the party was scheduled to start. I called my landlord in what might be termed "a panic." After listening to the situation, he said it was not likely he could fix the problem in time and suggested I cancel the party. Yes, definitely cause for panic. Canceling the party was not an option as I far as I was concerned, even if it meant asking people to trek to the neighbor’s house to pee. Well, the ladies at least…the guys would have probably been relegated to the field out back.
I pleaded with my landlord to at least try. While I waited for him to arrive, my beau, after expertly stopping the flow of water gushing madly into the basement, ran to the hardware store to get a head start on salvaging the remote possibility of offering running water and flush toilets for our guests. Before he left, I regrettably shared my “God smiling” sense with him. My beau’s response? “You may find he’s still smiling when all is said and done.”
Wise words indeed.
Well, my beau was right as usual, and the party ended up being a raging success! My landlord was able to come up with a temporary solution to reroute the water from the well to the well pump, with plenty of time to spare me a shower in my own bathroom before the guests arrived. The weather, even with a 5-minute mini-sprinkle mid-evening, was darn near perfect. The band, one I’ve loved for years, played some of my favorite salsa tunes, and even the non-dancers commented on how much they enjoyed the music. I danced and visited with friends way more than I expected, mainly because my beau graciously worked tirelessly to restock food and supplies and keep the kids entertained. Countless guests said that it was one of the best parties they’d ever attended. As if that wasn’t enough, after everyone left, my beau and my lovely neighbor – the one willing to offer her toilet to my guests and her shower to me - stayed to do the bulk of the clean-up while I settled my babes to sleep.
Now that all is said and done, I most certainly do feel as if God is still smiling at me. But it’s not because things ended up coming together or even that it was such a great party. I can look back and see that “God’s smile” is in the joy I felt in the warm (but not too hot) sun on my face, not in the sunshine itself. I think it’s also in the peace my beau offered in the midst of a stressful moment and again in the gratitude I felt when the crisis, mild though it really was, was averted. Most of all, I felt God smile on the relationships I share with so many wonderful and interesting people. May I be so bold to call it love? I imagine that nothing makes God smile so much as when we love each other. That and when a rip roaring good time is had by all.
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