Fascinating Grace

Even as I am slowly coming out of what could only be called

the Pioneer Flu

because it felt so “Little House on the Prairie” 

and left me with nothing but fuzzy time on the couch 

to let it “run its course”,

I can look back and see all the neat times I had in spite of this primitive-era illness.

God’s fascinating grace.

The luxury of finding delight in what is around me.

That’s God’s grace for me.

Because I certainly don’t deserve to even notice it.

Or delight in it.

But God sees fit to point them out to me

again and again.

Just because I ask.

And that will always be fascinating to me.

I wasn’t the only one affected. 

In fact, a good handful of the women that gathered that first “fuzzy Friday” for me 

for Sumita’s birthday luncheon,

ended up with the similar Pioneer Flu.

I may or may not be to blame.

Oops!

It was a lovely time in Carisa’s brand spanking new house.

(I will have to do a full photo tour post about it soon.)

We did a relaxation theme for Sumita because she has had quite a stressful last three months.

(That’s another whole post too.)

I did not take many pictures because, FUZZY.

Sumita.
Everyone deserves to wear a tiara and sash
on their birthday.

Carisa had the good idea of making fruit and yogurt
parfaits for everyone as part of the luncheon. 

My friend Julie thought it a good idea to buy
underwear for Sumita for her birthday.
I told her not to do that to for me for my birthday.

Carisa also had the brilliant idea of making homemade
foot scrubs for everyone to take home. I made 3 different
kinds:  Peppermint Sugar Salt, Lavender Salt and
Lemon Honey Sugar.
They were super easy and cheap to make.

I put the scrubs in these cute little containers
I found at Kroger. Didn’t realize until I got
home that they were intended for gelatin shots.
For the love of Pete.

To go along with the relaxation theme, we had everyone bring a calming/peaceful scripture or lyric to a song on an index card that we slid into little travel-sized photo books for her to have on hand. 

I wish we had gone around the room and each read those cards to Sumita.

Instead, we told funny stories and laughed until we cried.

God’s fascinating grace gave us just what we needed and not what I had planned.

Because it was a BLAST!

My voice was shot by the end. I could’ve sang a Barry White song without changing the key.

The day before the birthday luncheon, Sumita and I went to get facials. 

As I was driving to her house, I noticed a car in front of me with a vanity plate that read SCIWLKR.

I pondered all the things that could represent:

•Maybe he was a scientist and his last name was Walker so therefore he goes by Science Walker. 

•Maybe the SCI was more of a sky sound and he was one of those thrill seekers that like to illegally scale skyscrapers for fun.

Finally I noticed below the license plate that there was a bumper sticker that read TOYODA with a picture of Star Wars’ Yoda at the end.

Ohhhh!

So SCIWLKR was as in Luke Skywalker.

Then I noticed the guy was driving a Scion not a Toyota.

And he was bald and had ear lobes 

that hung almost to his shoulders 

because of those big spacer things 

that are in the holes that stretch them 

out beyond recognition.

Fascinating.

It was snowing these big huge flakes as Sumita and I pulled into the spa parking lot.

We saw a construction truck and a couple of guys in hard hats. One had his phone pointed straight up into the sky, taking a picture.

My instant thought?

He wanted to capture the beauty of those huge snow flakes 

and post it to Facebook or Instagram.

Sumita thought maybe it had more to do with the construction job at hand.

Still, I felt like I wanted to Facebook friend the hard hat.

 To follow his photographic view of the world that he no doubt chronicled.

Fascinating eye for beauty.

Fascinating.

It had been a l-o-n-g time since I had gotten a facial. 

I did not realize that I would be asked to strip down for a facial and told to put on a strapless terry cloth frock.

If you know me at all,

you know this made me terribly uncomfortable.

So I left my pants and tall boots on.

And took this selfie to send to Sumita who was in the next room 

having NO TROUBLE taking off her clothes, mind you, 

pants included.

(I asked later. 

You know I did.)

See my expression? That is my
“What is happening right now?” look.

My facial lady came in a half second after I snapped this picture and asked me why I still had my boots on.

I mumbled something about being cold as I unzipped my boots and she put this warm towel on my feet and I was almost sure I had found my perfect new thing.

Warm towels.

Wrapped around my feet.

In bed.

Every. Night.

Of course, I forgot all about my perfect new thing 

until just now as I typed this out.

But I am glad I didn’t 

in all my Pioneer Flu fuzziness,

forget all the fascinating grace of the past two weeks.

Oh, but there is more…

stay tuned.