For the family budget we had 2 huge planned events happen this month: one, some major car repairs and two, lots of gas for 2 very (and very, very) long MN trips. All month long I had been working the budget and planning on finding ways to find or save money in other places (ie all the not-set-in-stone areas of which I primarily am in charge of) instead of using our savings. Along the way there have been blessings of wise planning, inexpensive meals, free bread makers and I even received a nice HyVee gift card from a friend whom I babysit for out of the blue a few weeks ago. All super, wonderful things!

This morning, doing reports and the budget, I realized this month had one week left and it wasn't looking as well as I had hoped, things were adding up more than I expected and welp, I was at a loss. Technically, I know, we have resources available but for some reason really I didn't want to go there, we want our budget to make it work, and I hung my head and prayed a rather hodge-podge prayer...

"God, it would be great if you could provide us another HyVee gift card... I haven't asked you for something crazy like this in a long time and I know you have provided for us in so many ways for us already, and I feel silly asking, but that would be really great right now."

I honestly felt silly praying it. I mean really, we have savings but, ugh, you just hate to spend your savings don't you? And it is technically for other things and heaven forbid you get in that habit of using it. And, HyVee? HyVee is great but wo/man are they expensive. And, I can think of a handful of other ways it could've worked out, but, wo/man, I am simply writing you my honest prayer, no matter how far fetched or selfish or ridiculous or whatever, you could say it was, that is what I prayed.

Sure enough, our day continued to pass, as they normally do (sans Joshua 10), teaching school and the normal grind, and by late afternoon I had forgotten my prayer and was onto reworking my menus and whatnot to try and make it work for one more week.

Then our doorbell rang.

It was our neighbor and she hands me a card and says, "This is a thank you for all the help you gave us a while ago..."

I give her the typical mid-western response of, "You didn't have to do that..." and we continue to chat about this, that and the other, she mentions she's making a dump run and would love to take my old doors, I say, "Great," etc.

I go inside, back to the kids and open the card. Enclosed is a HyVee gift card. And not just any sized one, but a huge, whopper of a gift card.

Wow.

I finally remembered my prayer of the morning and began to cry as the kids and I all snuggled together and prayed, thanking God for answering my prayer, over and abundantly, pressed down, more than I could imagine.

Things I note to myself...

1.) The date on the receipt was 3/8.

2.) I normally am not in the habit of praying really specific prayers.

3.) Pre-planned? Maybe. I remember in this book reading about how prayers are sometimes like blue bicycles. A father got his son a blue bicycle for his birthday and the son didn't know about it but over time the father showed the son reasons or directions that led the son so that near his birthday he really wanted a blue bicycle, and wa-la, there it was, his father already had it for him. Not saying prayers are always like that but you could, could, say that here.

4.) An undeserved blessing? I hope one wouldn't say that, but the thought did cross my mind. I have done that before when given cash as gifts I have happily passed the cash into other hands more in need. But I really believe God wanted this for me this time all things considered.

5.) I can't wait to tell my neighbor. I am glad she is coming back to get my old doors because I am so excited to tell her how this, as crazy as it seems, was a specific answer to my<