Last week, Donn and I went to the Hermitage Walmart to get a few items after taking Sarah home. A woman in front of us turned down an aisle, then turned back and said to a lady in a wheelchair, “Ritz Crackers.”

The lady in the wheelchair smiled and said, “Yes.”

Unable to resist, I said, “Is that the code word?”

She smiled and said, “Of course,” Then she sat up straighter and said, “Daisy and Donn!”

I was so startled because I didn’t recognize her. She was wearing a hoodie with the hood pulled up. Even without the hood, I don’t think I’d have known her.

She said, “I’m Kris, the girl who used to live with you!”

The name brought back so many memories of a time about thirty years ago when, to our surprise, we found ourselves being given an opportunity to do something we never planned to do—take in boarders.

 We were foster parents and CYS asked if we would take in an 18-year-old whose mother had passed away and her two-and-a-half-year-old son. J was too old for the foster care program, so the judge wanted us to take them as boarders since he didn’t think J was mature enough for them to live alone. Since J and T had stayed with us before during an illness before her mother passed away, we agreed. We had no idea what to charge boarders so we called Louise, the real estate agent in our town, for suggestions.

Not long after that, a woman I had known slightly called to ask if we would take in B, a non-traditional Thiel college female student who wanted to live with a family. Then woman knew nothing about the other two we’d just taken in but said as she’d been praying that morning, she felt God prompting her to call me because she herself was unable to accommodate B.

Our daughter, Angi, was away at college, so after discussing it with her, Donn and I decided we could offer Angi’s room to B with the understanding that B might be sharing it with our daughter from time to time. B was okay with that, but as it turned out, they were never there at the same time since B always went home for holidays also.

Then one day the real estate agent, who knew we’d taken in some boarders, called to ask if we’d be willing to take in K, a high school senior from Greenville, She wanted to graduate from the school district in which we lived, and the only way she could attend Lakeview without paying tuition was if she lived in the District.

I told her I was sure K would not want the only room we had left because other boarders (T & J) had to walk through it to get to their room. Louise relayed the information and said K and her dad still wanted to see the room. When they arrived, it turned out that the two girls (J and K) knew each other from Greenville, and neither had a problem with the adjoining rooms! Amazed, we agreed to take K as a boarder also.

Now, thirty years later, I looked at K and found no resemblance to the girl who had lived with us. She had been going through a Gothic phase when she lived with us—dyed black hair, black fingernails and lipstick, black clothes.

I touched K’s shoulder and said, “Oh my goodness! I was just praying for you yesterday or the day before.”

She was amazed, then sighed and said, “I’m sorry I was such an idiotic back then!”

I remembered Donn had told me months ago that he had seen K at the hospital where he volunteers. He said she had apologized to him for how she behaved when she lived with us. Smiling, I said, “I guess we’ve all had our times when we were idiots!” We laughed. “I see you’re in a wheelchair. May I ask what condition keeps you there?”

K talked for a bit about her illness and then I shared about mine. At some point in the conversation, she said, “I just can’t believe you were still praying for me!”

 I told her I have a list of all our foster kids, boarders and international students for whom I pray in rotation. Before we went our separate ways, I asked K if I could pray for her now. She agreed, and I had an opportunity I’d never thought I’d have… the opportunity to pray for K in person after thirty years! All because I’d followed an impulse and asked if Ritz Crackers was a code word! I can’t get over all the ways the Holy Spirit works to bring about God’s purposes.

K promised to bring us a picture to put on the boards where we display all our boarders, foster kids, and international students who lived or stayed with us briefly. Somehow we never got a picture of her when she lived with us. I told her where we live and that I’m on Facebook. K said she’s on Facebook, too,  but I couldn’t find her. I’m praying that she’ll be in touch.

Father, we’re humbled that YOU, the Creator of the Universe, allow us to take part in your greater scheme of things in ways that we couldn’t imagine. Help us always be alert for opportunities to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Amen.

Health Update

I had an appointment on Monday, October 2, with Chris, the PA of the plastic surgeon who worked with Dr. K on my original surgery. We have never seen the waiting room so full—all of them there to see Chris– but in spite of that, he was kind and patient as ever. He was happy with my condition and gave me a form for my oncologist to fill out when she’s ready to release me for reconstructive surgery. I will see either my oncologist or her Pa on October 10 and October 31 when I go to the Hillman Cancer Center for Targeted Treatments, and I believe they’ll do lab work which will determine when they release me for surgery.

 Regardless of when I’m released, it looks like this surgery won’t take place until after the holidays. Dr. Cash can’t do surgery until November and I don’t want to be recovering from surgery while we’re preparing to celebrate our family Thanksgiving the second weekend in November or getting ready for our Christmas celebration if he did surgery later.

Please pray that I’ll continue to do well with my recovery from chemo and with my Targeted Treatments. I’m doing well except for occasional weepy times which I’ve read is common after chemo. Thank you so much for your prayers!