Gratitude...

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity.... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.
- Melodie Beattie

I was remembering back to a time when Scott and I were married a couple of years. We had just bought our first car, a Mazda 626.  Abby was about 6 months old. We were feeling grateful for all of our blessings. A good job, a beautiful baby, bills were paid. We decided to go for a drive and go to dinner at our favorite little ma and pop dinner. We were enjoying our meal and noticed a cute old couple eating by us. They were watching us as much as we were watching them.  As they left they came over and said how much we reminded them of when they were young and married and starting out. The asked us to enjoy this time. I will never forget the sweet spirit that couple carried with them...genuine kindness and love...how I longed to become like them...
As we got up to pay our bill, the waitress smiled and said it had been taken care of. WHAT!?! An overwhelming amount of pure joy filled our hearts. that sweet couple had paid for our dinner. They were long gone but our thanks and gratitude will forever be remembered. 
We could have paid for our meal...but I believe that when you are feeling the love of the Lord in your life, feeling gratitude for all you have...the Lord will send Angels. Angels that will make you want to be better, want to become something more.
We have tried to pay it forward when we can. There have been many moments just like these, that have come at the most unexpected times, needed times. I am grateful for this memory and will forever be grateful for the sweet couple who paid for our little families meal. I pray to be this for someone...sometime.....