I have spent the last three nights away from home attending a conference in Pittsburgh. We had great weather, I was able to spend much of the conference with a co-worker who I’m fortunate to call a friend and we even enjoyed some really great restaurants during our stay. I should also mention that I was able to do a decent amount of networking and learned some interesting new concepts that I can apply to my work and that all in all it was a successful trip! While I was able to make the short drive there with the company of my co-worker, fortunately for her, she went on to Boston for a few days of vacation following the conference and I was on my own for the drive home.
Admittedly, I was becoming pretty homesick since this was the first time I’d ever been away from our sweet baby Matthew for this sort of duration and I also missed my husband. In addition, we had closed on our new home a few days before we left for the conference and we are set to pick up the keys this Friday evening… that said, there is still much packing and cleaning that needs done in our current home as well as the work we have planned for the new place before we are ready to move in, including: painting, new flooring, new lighting and refinishing many of the ceilings! We also have to set up our utilities, move, get settled, and prepare for baby’s arrival… and have I mentioned that I have already used most of my vacation time from work?
On the drive home this afternoon, all of these things began running through my mind and I ended up landing in some self pity… which led to me beginning to worry and fret about baby. By the time I’d completed my drive home I was almost in tears and just wanted to pick up Matthew from the sitters so I could hug and love on him some for my own selfish comfort. My mom had completed some renovations at her store while I was away so I decided to take Matthew into town to take a peek at what she’d changed. It felt good to see her too and my mood continued to improve. While in her store a lady approached me and began questioning me about the pregnancy. How was I feeling? Were things going well? Is baby healthy? … Who is this lady, I wondered? I don’t know her and don’t feel like talking about this stuff that I’d spent a good part of the afternoon dwelling on… Then she asked if I’d be delivering at our local community hospital? I had been able to blow off the other questions and redirect the conversation, but how could I get out of this one? I’m not a fan telling lies, so I told the truth, that I’d be delivering in Cleveland… which you guessed it, led to more questions.. Oh really, why are you delivering so far away? Eventually I ended up sharing our journey and I sure was glad she had pushed me to that point! This “random lady” (I’d guess in her 60’s?) shared she had a brother with Down Syndrome (who had passed away a number of years earlier). We ended up talking for quite some time and hearing about how her brother helped to shape her life and experiences was amazing. I was uplifted by her stories and we talked about the importance of prayer. I continue to be amazed with the way God has helped me to connect with the right people at the right time throughout this experience. There is no such thing as fate…. I believe this is all part of a greater plan and it’s so amazing to see His plan unfolding in my life.
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