Icy winds whipping down Chicago’s Michigan Avenue went straight through my old black coat.
I turned up the collar. I need something warmer, I thought, glancing in the store windows.
But money was tight. The contractor we’d hired to remodel our home had walked off the job, taking our money with him. I was tired of pinching pennies because of it.
Maybe a new scarf would help fight the cold. I turned into a department store. Scarves of every color lined the displays, soft fabrics draped over racks and piled on tables. With a nice scarf this old coat could probably get me through another winter.
“I’m looking for a new scarf—something extra warm,” I told the clerk.
“Oh, you are in luck!” she cooed. “Our lovely cashmeres are on sale!”
Cashmere—how elegant! But when I saw the price, I knew there was no way. What was I doing shopping for anything?
I climbed onto the bus and headed home. Lord, help me remember all the good things I have in my life!
At home, a brown-paper package was waiting for me. Something from my cousin Jeanie in Seattle. I ripped off the paper, slit open the top and pulled aside tissue paper.
I felt something soft. And warm. Scarves! A box of scarves, one prettier than the next.
“These will be happier around your neck than sitting in my closet,” Jeanie’s note said. One was cashmere—in a taupe that would complement my coat perfectly.
It was going to be a warm winter after all. Now that God had reminded me of all the good things I had, like good family, and his everlasting love.