Yesterday was the final day of my Parish St. John of the Cross, Fall Festival. I spent the entire day there with my girls Violet and Chloe. We spent most of the weekend there even though I have been struggling lately with some health issues, but yesterday was so precious.
My girls were playing a carnival game and my daughter Violet noticed a stuffed dog holding a baby dog and had told her sister Chloe if she should win, would she PLEASE win the dog for her. After a many rounds of placing quarters on numbers and spinning a number wheel, Chloe won. Amid a crowd of people she yelled out “Please give me that dog for my sister Violet”. Chloe is just 5 years old. The entire table went silent. Chloe was handed the dog and she ran to Violet and gave it to her. They hug in an embrace that told me our Lord did this. Violet thanked Chloe and they were better than just sisters. They became BEST Sisters.
After that beautiful exchange between sisters, we walked into the hall and began to look among the items in the silent auction. Chloe had noticed a game that she wanted and I placed her name on the list with an amount and told her we would wait until the auction to see if she had won. The game was actually a pair of identical games that were both the same but different roller coaster games. We waited for the auction and Chloe was so excited to wait for her name to be called. It took a long time for them to get to the table where her toys were and they read the name and it was not Chloe who won. She had been outbid. She looked at me from across the room and shook her head yes as if to say did they say it? Did I win? And I looked at her and shook my head no and opened my arms to receive the broken hearted Chloe. She cried so hard walking back in defeat. I could not consul her. I told her that because she had been SO gracious with her sister and won her the stuffed dog, I would take her right over to the toy store and buy her the same toy. She didn’t want anything to do with that. It was THAT raceway, THAT toy she wanted. I hugged her and after a few moments of crying, a little girl walked over with both the games Chloe had wanted and gave Chloe the pick of which one she could have. Chloe jumped up and down and was SO happy! So full of thanksgiving! She picked one not believing what the little girl had done for her and I told her she better thank her. She RAN to the girl and hugged her and thanked her. I took Violet and Chloe to the side and asked them who they thought made this happen? Violet smiled when I said this was all because of Jesus. I told them that Jesus had seen what Chloe had done for Violet and how much love she did it in for her sister that He provided someone to do the exact thing for Chloe. In unison, we all thanked our Lord together and told Him we loved Him.
The day before, on Saturday, walking through the same silent auction, someone had donated a box of porcelain doll pieces. Old doll wigs, arms, bodies, legs and everything you could need to build porcelain dolls. My Violet loved it! She wanted them all! They were not in the auction and we were approached and and asked if we would want to purchase two of them for the girls and I said yes. In the meantime, I had signed Violets name to another bid of three porcelain dolls on display, and when I did realized one of the Sisters from the girls school was the one we had just outbid. I left it alone; thinking someone else would bid higher. Sunday morning after Mass, we were asked again if we would just take the entire box of doll parts as no one was interested in them. I said yes and was then asked to make a few for the next years silent auction. My Violet was thrilled!
After Chloe had been given her game, we left the silent auction very happy and started to head home. The auction was far from over but we needed to leave. I was exhausted and my head was pounding. Just before 8:00 PM the phone rang. It was Marta from the Silent Auction letting me know that Violet had won the three dolls and I had to get there to pick them up and pay for them. I smiled and knew exactly what needed to be done. I asked Violet if it would be okay if we gave Sister the three dolls because we had been given so much. She said yes. I went back to Church, paid for the dolls and began to look for any of the Sisters from the School. I found two of them and told them the story, handing them the bag of dolls and letting them know, they belonged to Sister Therese.
On my way back to my car, I remembered I needed to change the Altar for the next morning Mass. I went into Church and noticed the Statue of St. Therese of Lisieux was brought to the front. All the day’s events filled my head in a flood of amazement. I realized it was her feast day and doing everything in love, was the easiest way to our Lord. Not feeling very well, after the Altar was taken care of, I searched for roses to place at her feet, for placing so many of our Lords in my arms.
Peg Pondering Again 