God never fails to surprise me. If you had said to me two years ago, “Friday – in two years, you are going to be lifting lots of heavy things in the heat; jumping on trampolines to corrupting 80s music (also in the heat); attending very challenging foster parent classes; and taking Holy Communion with a group of sweet people you have yet to meet” I would’ve said you were off your rocker. I had no idea what was in store.
The Lord did, however. And my sweet auntie also had an inklin or two. She told me, the day I saw Jesus, felt His presence, that I would never be the same. She told me that one day I will be doing and witnessing great things for and about His kingdom – things that I would have never even guessed possible.
I am seeing this come to pass in ways I would have never predicted. Not me, but Thee. They are many, sometimes big, sometimes small – but almost daily unexpected surprises.
“Unexpected surprises” – redundant. I know it.
In the garden this morning, there was a ripening serrano pepper. Finally! A sweet unexpected surprise! I wait for them to turn red. I had tried to force some to turn red off the plant earlier this summer by laying them in the sun after picking, but they just burnt up. I had to wait.
The exquisite, sweet, spicy red serrano are not to be found in any grocery. They make beautiful fermented hot sauce that we eat and share all winter. In the darkness of winter, that heat reminds me that my beloved summer will indeed return. I love summer so much.
Suddenly the yellow common marigolds are putting out glorious blooms. They limped along all summer, but now – so beautiful! A Monarch butterfly visited this morning and I watched her perch on a bloom for a moment before she moseyed over to what’s left of the orange-bloomed nasturtiums. She was magnificent and too ephemeral to capture on the camera phone.
Later today I am harvesting the giant Thai basil for making a special pesto-of-sorts that I came up with last year. It was pretty awesome – it made short work of spicy Thai basil dishes. And much like the hot sauce, it’s a physical remembrance of summer and a promise of a summer to come. And it’s a piquant reminder of God’s unexpected surprises that you cannot force.