“What are you doing up there?” I inquired as I walked into the garage late one recent evening. ”Looking for some paperwork,” mumbled my husband with his head buried deep in an old box.
Rolling my eyes, I returned to the family room to begin my nightly ritual of zoning out in front of HGTV with a glass of chardonnay and a bowl of Smart Pop popcorn. I remember thinking to myself I could be going to bed alone if he’s involved in searching for some obscure bill, photo, or document from years past. Tom can be very intent and focused, after a quarter century of marriage I quickly pick up on his I’m on a mission don’t bother me body language.
Surprisingly, not long after I sat down, Tom bounded through the door with a piece of paper and his iPhone in hand. Sitting down on the sofa, he wildly began tapping what I imagined was his calculator app. I looked up from the television and noted a pleased look on his face.
It turned out he was searching for paperwork related to a few shares of stock purchased by my dad for our son Allen-Michael when he was a toddler. The toddler is now twenty-four-years-old and working in the ministry field in Scotland for nine months supervising a team of a dozen young adults leading Catholic retreats for middle and high school students in the Glasgow area.
Tom looked at me and said, “The $200 investment your dad made in Apple stock back in 1996 for Allen-Michael is now worth ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY TIMES that amount!”
Folks, this is probably as close to winning the lottery as our son will ever get! Terrific news because ministry work does not pay top dollar and while we support his following his heart’s passion, it does not readily pay off his student loans.
Until now.
I have often scoffed at my husband’s anal retentive nature…holding onto boxes of paperwork through a dozen moves when I would have shredded and recycled it long ago, I’ve had to eat my words on more than one occasion because he’s either taken pictures, held on to an invoice/document, or remembered conversations that have saved us in one way or another. This was yet another example.
A few days later, with all the necessary verification in place, we were able to Skype our son in Minnesota just before he left for Scotland to share this news with him. Of course he was totally unaware of the blessing that was about to be shared with him, and naturally was overcome with shock and emotion for having received this incredibly pleasant surprise.
I do believe our son has a direct connection to God and this time it came in the form of some much-needed funds so he can continue the work he loves doing, bringing his love of the Lord to other young people, while meeting his financial responsibility.
Finding this kind of treasure doesn’t happen every day, but when it does I am reassured that miracles do happen.
Of course this little story prompted our sophomore at Texas Tech to inquire about whether or not Grandpa had purchased any stock in his name two decades ago…one thing’s for certain, if there’s paperwork needed, my husband’s got it in a box somewhere!
The Enlightened Mom Workshop – October 20-21, 2017 will be held at The Union in Highland Village. Join Kim Muench as she welcomes award winning author of “The Enlightened Mom,” nationally known speaker, and spiritual coach Terri Britt for a one-of-a-kind event just for moms! For more information: Go to www.terribritt.com/moms or call Kim Muench at 972-689-0250.
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