Grace's Confirmation

Well, since Sunday is almost here, I guess I should let people know how last Sunday went (it's been a long week--a long few weeks, actually). Grace's confirmation day was really nice. I hadn't expected the day to be quite as nice as it was, but the Lord had other plans.

I spent a lot of time with my mom in the hospital the week before the big event. I awoke Saturday morning having done NOTHING towards the big day. The house was a wreck and I hadn't started on any of the food for the after confirmation lunch. I hadn't even had a chance to go to the grocery store to get the food. That's when God stepped in.

My friend (who just had a baby, by the way) offered her two older girls as helpers to me for a couple of hours. Elsie and Lillie are each one year older than my two oldest girls. So the four girls cleaned the entire house from top to bottom while I made a Wal-Mart run. Matt, Grace and I took the girls home on our way to church that afternoon. Grace and the other confirmands were interviewed by the Pastor and the elders and each confirmand also gave her testimony (all five were girls this year). Grace was very nervous, but she did really well.

We went home and I took a power nap. In the late afternoon, my sister-in-law, Jessica (the one who doesn't like to cook), came over and helped me with food prep for three hours. When she left I followed her to her house and cut all the remaining roses in her yard. Then I went back to my house and cut all of the remaining roses in our yard. There were just enough nice roses left to make two bouquets for the kitchen and dining room tables. Another God thing.
Sunday morning we all awoke early and got hopping. Showers, baths, church clothes and last minute chores all needed to happen by 10 a.m. And all did happen. A miracle! We made it to church with plenty of time to spare. Lots of friends and family came and we were blessed by their presence.

We scooted home after the service and reception. Matt's mom and dad stopped by Costco and picked up all the food trays we had ordered to save us a trip. Mom and Dad had already begun to set out all the food by the time we arrived home. I just stepped in to finish the spinach and strawberry salad. Then our good friends Floyd and Peggy showed up with a lovely cake in the shape of a cross which had been decorated with butter cream roses and Grace's name and confirmation date. I was so tickled.

Only God could have known. I had secretly desired a beautifully decorated cake for the occasion, but had decided against it (store bought cakes are yucky and my favorite bakery in town is very pricey). I spent Saturday night kicking myself for thinking that I could make the dessert myself. My sister-in-law and I could have cut our prep time by nearly half if I hadn't insisted on making mini cheesecakes--48 of them (which I over baked, by the way). God knew the desire of my mommy heart, however, and completely surprised both Grace and me with a better cake than I could have made or bought myself. That's just so God. He's pretty neat that way.
Anyway, it was a beautiful day, not just because Grace confirmed her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but because God showed us how much He loves us. Even down to the silly little details.