As we were leaving Greenville, I was already tired. Typical for a first night away from home, I had not slept well. It was a rainy day, and I was anxious to get home to my easy chair and our own bed. But Cynthia asked if we could stop along the way home to see Sara. Sara is a friend who had an accident several years ago and, through equipment malfunction and inattention by hospital staff, had stopped breathing and was without oxygen for nine minutes. This left her both very physically and mentally impaired. The last time we saw her she was in the dementia unit of an assisted living facility, and the prognosis for any type of recovery was very bleak, I could only imagine how much more her health had probably declined since then. The facility where Sara was living was only a few minutes off the Interstate, but I knew that a visit would mean a delay of at least a couple of hours. So, between being tired and anxious to get home and being uncomfortable seeing a friend who may not even recognize us, I wanted to say to Cynthia "Let's just go home." But I knew that was not what God wanted from me, and so I told Cynthia that I thought visiting with Sara was the right thing to do. So, we left the Interstate and with the help of our GPS, found our way to Sara's facility.

We found that Sara was no longer in the dementia unit. When we found her in her own room, her face lit up, she threw open her arms and literally screamed "Cynthia!!!" We learned that she was able to resume her hobby of painting, was able to read mystery books and was able to get around, even though she was confined to a wheelchair. I wish that I could say that Sara will one day be able to go home again, but that is not the case. As we talked she said things that we knew were not true. She is still confused, and she may not have remembered our visit by the time we left the parking lot. But for the time that we were with her, she recalled good times from the past, she asked about mutual friends and acquaintances, and she was filled with joy. That was a blessing that our visit brought to her.

There is more to this story. We were led by God to visit Sara, and in following his gentle nudge, we gained a blessing of our own. No longer was I tired. And we rejoiced in knowing that a good friend was in a good place and being treated well, and able to have a quality life despite her circumstances. And we came away knowing that God had blessed us during this time. As we later thought about this trip, seeing Sara was one of our highlights.

Which brings me to the point of this story: I wonder how often God places in our paths opportunities to be a blessing to someone else, and, in turn, to be blessed in the process. How many times have we missed a blessing opportunity because we failed to recognize it?

Prayer: Dear God, as we go through each day, we ask that you lead us to opportunities to be a blessing to others and, by doing so, to receive your blessings for ourselves. Amen.