Getting what you ask for

On Sunday I had a little lesson in how life hands us what we need.
The reminder I needed came via my friend Izetta, as we went on a long walk with our baby girls and generally caught up. I needed a friend and she was there for me. She heard me out on some things I was feeling. It is amazing how much healing that offers, just to be able to say "these are my feelings about these things" and to have someone else listen and perhaps offer their take on it.
She reminded me that what is important is the *present* which is truly a gift.
And also that I did not have to take the actions of others personally - that they truly do not reflect on me or who I am.
Well, it takes a little while to digest stuff like that so I kept it in mind.
We had a great walk thereafter and I returned home feeling lighthearted.

Until I discovered that one of June's favorite shoes had fallen off in her sleep, somewhere along our walk. There is no way this could have happened without my noticing if she had been awake because she would have shouted about it.

June picked out the shoes at R.E.I. in Alaska this summer. Her Nana Becky bought them for her, and it has been love ever since. In fact, when she first got them, she refused to go to sleep without wearing them.

Since June was asleep after our walk I decided we should stay home and wait for Daddy to get back instead of immediately returning to the streets to look for the missing shoe.
We then went on a bike ride and retraced our earlier steps, looking for it.
All three of us went as a family and the bike ride felt great too.

But we could not find the shoe. It was very windy and we thought it might have blown away.

On our way home Adam said, "Well, anyone who knows June will see that shoe and know it is hers." I thought this was true, but wondered if anyone would find it that we actually knew.

I then forgot and we started playing and doing other things around the house.

After a while, the door bell rang. We opened the door to Everett, Lakota, Noah, Phil, and Lovina in her stroller. They asked practically in unison, "Is this June's shoe?"
It was the best. Little June hardly knew her shoe had been gone (thankfully). She did tell me it was dirty and needed to be washed. (It may have been run over.)
But how sweet is it that neighborhood friends were out walking and found June's shoe 5 or 6 blocks from home?

I love my family. I love my life.