Curly ribbon & waiting

The prize was $10 for guessing closest to the actual number of jelly beans in the jar.  I waged my guess at 171, and soon I merrily tucked $10 into my purse.  Should I buy lunch at Chick-fil-A?  Maybe Pei Wei?  The answer was neither.  I had asked the Lord what to do, and thereafter I kept picturing the face of a new friend.  I wanted to compile a care package for her, in hope of easing the near-exhaustion she felt from travelling so many weekends.  Ten dollars would buy her some healthful snacks for the road and some other things just for fun.  For her early mornings, I bought Target’s version of Nutri-Grain berry bars.  Just for fun, I bought some Bugles, some peanut M&Ms, and a few other items.  A bottle of green tea can be refreshing anytime, so I put one of those in the basket too.  At home, I bundled everything together and added purple and green curly ribbons dangling on the outside and stamped her a colorful card that included Philippians 1:3, because each remembrance of her really does sweeten my day.  The next Sunday, I would be so happy to present her the gift.  But next Sunday I didn’t see her.  The Sunday after that, I didn’t see her.  The next month, I didn’t see her.  Two months later, I still hadn’t seen her.  Four months later, still no sign of her, and truly my heart was heavy.  Each Sunday morning, I put her package in the car, and each Sunday afternoon, I took the undelivered package back into the house.  I fluffed the ribbons back into place, smoothing their creases, and placed the package again in its weekday residence on my dresser.  I held such high hope for seeing my friend again.  Occasionally the notion surfaced to unwrap everything and piece the items apart into our kitchen pantry, but entertaining that thought made me feel I was abandoning the whole friendship.  From the start, I had felt strongly compelled to prepare this package, and here now I determined again to hold on and keep asking the Lord for another opportunity to see my friend.  And then it happened.  Almost 6 months of waiting, and there she was.  I walked in late and sat on the opposite side of the congregation.  Peering to the side, I noticed her distinctively dark curly hair flowing near her shoulders.  I could feel the corners of my mouth jump up into a smile.  Even more, I could feel my heart swell.  The hard part would be waiting till after the sermon to leap across the aisle to give her the biggest hug ever.  She explained her absence, and I explained my care package.  It was an occasion that brought immense joy for having waited upon what the Lord set in motion months before.  In the words of Philippians 1:6, what He had begun, He had carried to completion.