Tulips, Strawberries, and Free Indian Food

I waltz into the office doors at the church. My boss, the associate pastor, takes me to the temp at the front desk. The temp says, "You're Mia?" I nod affirmatively. "Your dad called earlier. There are packages for you." I look down at the table and see two large boxes. One is obviously a flower box. The other most certainly has perishables in it.

I gather the deliveries and head to the worship arts room/my make-shift office. My boss is snickering whilst making sly comments about how loved I am because of these offerings. I open the flower box and embrace pink, red, and white tulips, accompanied by a beautiful glass vase. I open the box beside it which is filled with chocolate and white chocolate covered strawberries.

I search for a note, knowing deep down who the admirer is:

"My gorgeous baby girl, Happy Valentine's Day."

Signed, "Daddy."

I struggle to fight back tears, so overcome by this gesture, though not surprised. My father has done nothing but step in the gap of my disappointment and heartache over the last few years. He has flown to New York on a whim to see me perform (he did this weeks after my best friend died in 2015). He has surprised me at church to hear me preach (2017). He has sent me king cakes and Valentine's day gifts throughout the years just to let me know that I'm loved. I appreciate him so much.

But the fun didn't stop there. I get home from work--we had Ash Wednesday evening service, so I got home around 8:45pm--, I order delivery food for one, and when the food arrives, it's food for a family of four! According to my receipt, they seemed to have given me extra food on purpose. I got like like double the curry, double naan, and some appetizers I didn't order! God is good, okay!! They must've felt bad for all of us "solo orderers" tonight. Lol but I'm grateful. God be looking out, for real!

Today was a good day. There were sad moments--Valentine's Day does that to me. There were reflective moments--moments when I remembered how awesome last year's Valentine's Day was (it was mind-blowingly awesome, OK!). I try to look back on that day fondly as I force myself to appreciate the now. That's a hard task, ya know--appreciating the now. But it's the only way we'll be able to move forward and live our lives fully and in peace!

So, cheers to living in the now! Cheers to the tulips and the strawberries and the free Indian food! Cheers to dads who make your day on Valentine's Day and moms who buy you tickets to Broadway shows because they want you to experience a little bit of joy in the midst of your stress and troubles.

Cheers!

I lift my glass of Tito's and Strawberry Lemonade in honor of the now!

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