Paul and Vanessa

This is a story to warm your heard.

My friend Roniece is the sweetest. HER friend, who we will call S recently had a baby. The baby, unfortunately, is special needs. It was a huge shock to S and the family. It has been hard and very sad. S was telling Roniece who each time she goes to the Dr they tell her yet another thing that is wrong, or that the baby won't ever do. She said it's dragging her down so much. Of course it is. Roniece felt the Spirit suggest this idea; Get a journal, write all the stuff the Dr's say the baby won't be able to do, write about it when the baby DOES accomplish those things. Give the journal to the baby when he is an adult and has overcome these challanges. Well S loved the idea, it made her feel hopeful and loved.

So today after going to Roniece's birthday dinner I draged her into Barnes and Noble. Mostly because my kids were not with us and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to go in a bookstore without my kids. I had an idea of buying some gift cards while I was in there too. Roniece told me the story I just told you. We decided to look at journals. We hemed and hawed over them. There was a budget issue, the ones we loved most were too costly. Did we want to get a journal that "would do" or keep looking, or bite the bullet and get an expensive one? We got discouraged and decided to look at funny calendars instead. At the end of calendars was a second selection of "budget journals" They were actually lovely, but then we wondered if they were too girly.

Roniece feels randomly inspried to ask the advice of this man who is looking at books around the corner. He says, that they are girly and he would not use them. I ask if he would cherish it from his mom though, if it was what she recorded his early life in. He said maybe. Then he got a thoughtful look and said, "You know, let me show you the journal I really like and use myself, I think it would be perfect." So he takes us to the moleskein journals. I know these journals, they are fantastic. But they were out of our price range. We look at them, commenting on their perfectness. I point out to Roniece that they would hold up well in the purse for Dr visits. The guy asks about that. We tell him about S and her baby and why we think she needs a journal. The guy says, "You know what, you pick any of these you like and I will buy it for your friend." We are shocked of course, but he says we must choose one. We pick up the smallest one of course. Meanwhile his wife who is adorable and pregnant comes up. She doesn't say, "What are you doing talking about buying a journal for random girls you just met" She says, "Oh hello" totally friendly. So we say that we think the small one will work. The wife says, "Oh no, it's hard to write in the small, you need this one" and picks up a larger one that is much more expensive. Then the husband says, "well if it's for the purse, I think the hardcover is best" And voila he picks us out an expensive journal and buys it.

While he's paying we chat up the wife, including me saying, "What's it like to go around with him all the time" referencing the generosity and general awesomeness of her husband. And she say, "It's pretty much awesome" and I squealed. I mean that's right up there with "that's a little hunk of gold I'm holding right there" (America's Next Top Model reference).

Turns out they are Paul and Vanessa, the baby is due in Feburary. They don't know the gender and are not finding until they have the baby. They win my award for most adorable couple today.

Roniece wins my award for listening to the promptings of the Spirit for starting this whole ball rolling. I rekon I can have an award for dragging my friend on HER birthday dinner into a store I want to go into? Nah.. no award for me.

Anyhow that's all I have today but I had to share that story with anyone who would listen. It's my current favorite RAK.