Peggy and I are on the island of Kauai celebrating our 43rd wedding anniversary (on the 25th) and her birthday on the 19th. We love the slow-pace and the beauty of the ‘Garden Isle.’
Last night we went to a dinner theater production of ‘South Pacific.’ We’ve seen it before when we were here, but always enjoy the great acting and music of Rodgers and Hammerstein. Whenever we go to places that we know we will be sitting with people that we haven’t met before, we usually say, ‘I wonder who we will meet tonite’ knowing that God has a wonderful way of handling our seat assignments.
We found our table and discovered we were sitting next to a mother (Marilyn) and daughter (Sabrina), (mother about 55, daughter about 25). After mutual introductions we found out that in conversation that the Marilyn was a nurse and Sabrina a graduate student who had spent a semester in St. Petersburg Russia, interesting stuff.
As I focused on the delicious Ono and teriyaki chicken, I could hear that the conversation between Peggy and Marilyn was taking a turn from beautiful places to visit on Kauai to personal hurt and tragedy. Marilyn’s husband had been killed in an auto accident and her son had killed himself after the death of his father. Sabrina had moved home from school to be with her mother. They are here still healing and rebuilding lives. Peggy talked, shared tears and ‘the God of comfort’ touched their hearts. They don’t yet know the Lord, but they know one of His wonderful daughters, Peggy that is.
By the end of the evening, when the show was over and it was time to go, we all hugged. The touch of God on the evening was obvious.
Everyone you meet here is a stranger, but obviously everyone is known by God. Strangers can become friends as we give God opportunity to love people thru us.