A Day in the Life of a Fool
by Sherri Stewart
Remember
that verse in I Corinthians 1: 27 where God chose the foolish things of the
world to shame the wise? I am so glad God chose me as one of His little fools.
It
was colder than most January days in Calgary, Alberta—so cold that I was
reluctant to drive my old Volvo too far from home, but I hated to miss the
first day of the new semester. After dropping my son off at the babysitter’s, I
decided it would be safer to take the subway, something I had never done
before. A small voice inside reminded me that whenever I do something for the
first time, I make mistakes, but I told myself that taking a subway wasn’t
rocket science, was it?
I
bought my ticket, but knew I would have to transfer downtown to another train
that would take me to the university. I wasn’t sure how to do that, but surely someone
would help.
When
I arrived downtown, I jumped off the train and was waiting for the
corresponding one to arrive when a thought struck me. I had left a pot of
potpourri simmering on the stove. Great. Why hadn’t I thought to turn the stove
off? It had been two hours, and soon the water would evaporate, the pot would
catch on fire, and we’d lose everything. I thought of my poor dog as I dug a
quarter out of my purse to call a neighbor with a key to my house when I
realized my purse was missing. (this was before cell phones). I’d left my purse
on the train. No car, no keys, one quarter.
I
prayed for God’s help.
Taking
a deep breath, I called my next-door neighbor who wasn’t home, but my husband
was in town, which was rare since he worked for a hockey team that was always
on the road. Bobby was gracious as always and didn’t reprimand me for being an
idiot.
While
I waited for him to pick me up, I stopped the conductor of an arriving train
and told him about my purse. He said he would alert the other drivers to be on
the lookout.
As
Bobby and I raced toward our house, I scanned the sky for rising smoke in the northeast.
Bobby reminded me that we would have to cancel our credit cards and get a
locksmith to unlock my car since we didn’t have an extra key.
No
smoke billowed out of the house, but I didn’t wait for the car to slow down
before I jumped out, opened the garage door, and ran into the kitchen. The red
light on the stove was still on, the burner under the small pot was red hot,
but the potpourri floating inside the pot wasn’t simmering. I dipped my finger
in the brown liquid. It was ice cold. ICE COLD.
The
same God who parted the Red Sea and made the sun stand still made the liquid on
a red-hot burner ice cold.
But
that’s not all. A few hours after I cancelled my credit cards, I received a
call from the transit company. They found my purse in a plastic bag. Someone
had taken the cash, but left everything else—my passport and visa, my checkbook,
credit cards, keys, and driver’s license. I called the bank to see if they
would disregard my request to cancel my cards but knew it was a lost cause.
The woman at the bank said that the system had gone down after I called so my
credit cards were still good.
I
made a lot of mistakes on that cold January day, but God didn’t reprimand me. I
was doing enough of that myself. He made simmering water cold and made the
bank’s system stand still for a few hours for me. Instead of being the worst
day of my life, God gave me a story to tell.
About the Book:
By
Sherri Stewart
Call
Me Jane
Her feet are wet from walking on water. Why is she
still wearing her shoes? That was her first question when the fugue cleared.
But she has more pressing questions, such as —who is she, where does she live,
and how did she end up on Peachtree Street on a cold November night wearing
nothing but a nightgown?
With Officer Kyle Rossi’s help, Jane, as she prefers
to be called, begins the journey to discover her identity. But the more she
learns about the real Aubrey Sutherland, the more she realizes she can’t trust
anyone, especially those closest to her, but Jane also learns that a concussion
might be the best thing that ever happened to her.
About Sherri:
Newly
retired from teaching, Sherri Stewart is transitioning into full-time writing
and editing, but she makes time for her other love—spending time with her
family, especially with her 89-year-old mother. She also enjoys travelling to
locations to research her books. Israel is her next destination, a trip she has
looked forward to for years. Sherri lives with her husband, Bobby, with whom
she is celebrating her fortieth wedding anniversary. Son Joshua works at Disney
and keeps her laughing. She hones her craft through organizations such as Word
Weavers International, American Christian Fiction Writers, and Christian Pen.
Social Media Contacts
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/sherristewart/
Email: sherristewart2@yahoo.com
Website: www.stewartwriting.com/blog
Twitter: https://twitter.com/machere
Books by Sherri Stewart
Sherri, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this! Thank you so much for sharing. We all have done foolish things through life, but, as you so cleverly pointed out, God has a special way of making things turn out for good. I can't believe that potpourri was COLD! Only God ...
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