Noble Norman

We’d been in Mexico for 6 months. We had just leased our own place & had absolutely nothing to put in it. But within a couple of weeks, we were headed north to meet our new students in Texas. So, we made a trip out of it!

Gram flew out to Texas to join us on our road trip. We saw cousins in Texas, Oklahoma, & Missouri & made as many trips possible to Target & IKEA along the way! We had a long list of items we needed in order to live in our house, a tight budget, & very limited space, but we knew that IKEA & Target would pull through for us.

The shopping began & soon Sally the Saturn was filling up. As we continued heading north to Oklahoma, I remember thinking to myself, “It would be so awesome if someone just gave us a luggage top carrier”…

We arrived at my Aunt Louise & Uncle Mark’s house; some of the best family anyone could ask for. Matt had never met them & we hadn’t seen them in probably 10 years. The first morning after we’d arrived, I woke up to the smell of yummy breakfast & the chatter of the “good ‘ol” stories that my family is famous for sharing.

“Where’s Matt?” I asked…

After a few minutes, Matt & Uncle Mark came in from outside. And I was standing there, soaking in the surprise of the moment. That very morning, Uncle Mark & Aunt Louise were going to place a luggage top carrier out on the sidewalk for anyone to take, but had instead offered it to us for free.

Someone was giving us a luggage top carrier.

I never mentioned my passing thought to Matt or anyone else. It was just a random thought that came & went (as so many seem to do). And as I shared with everyone the thought I had only the day before, everyone’s eyes filled with tears.

We didn’t see it as coincidence or happenstance. We all knew it was one of those small little moments that God gives us in a lifetime; those small moments where we know God hears us, no matter how small the desire or detail.

We would have been fine without the luggage top carrier. We would have somehow made it back down to Mexico, but definitely minus a few items. But He knew…it was a simple wish & God provided.

I absolutely love that about our God. When you start to feel like God doesn’t hear you or know who you are, just wait…He’s waiting to provide your luggage top carrier. And He’ll really surprise when He does!

*Noble Norman is what we named the luggage top carrier because we were in Noble & Norman, OK when it was given to us. And it helped us move back from Mexico to CA as well!

**Pictures: #1 - Gram & me at the Cracker Barrel on our road trip. #2 - Noble Norman #3 - Uncle Mark & Aunt Louise