Chick-Fil-A, Gerig's and other Glenbrook Blessings

Jack and I just spent a few hours at the mall.  I thought it was going to be a normal mall trip, and somehow in those few hours I was overwhelmed with blessings!  Let's count them....

1.  This one started a few days ago.  I've had my eye on a pair of maternity jeans (and I NEED maternity jeans) from a certain store in the mall.  But they were a little more expensive than what I would normally like to pay for maternity jeans.  Then on Friday Dustin found a gift card to Glenbrook that we had forgotten about.  Score!  That's why we went to the mall today.  I am now the proud owner of jeans that fit.  Hallelujah!

2.  We went to Chick-Fil-A for lunch.  Chick-Fil-A would normally be a blessing in itself, right?  Not only was I able to order grilled chicken nuggets and applesauce for Jack (yay for kinda-healthy fast food!), but when we finished our order, the manager came over and said, "You go find a table and I'll bring your food out to you."  Awesome for a momma with a toddler in a stroller plus a baby bump!  A few minutes later he came over with our food and said, "Here you go, Kendra!  Would you like a placemat for your son?"  And he stuck a disposable placemat on the table.  He later came over to trade Jack's toy for an "under 3" toy, and took our trash away.  Throughout our lunch I saw him bustling around the food court, refilling drinks and getting ketchup for all the customers who were enjoying delicious chicken.  Way to go, Chick-Fil-A.  Way. To. Go.

3.  Also in the food court....I noticed a couple tables over there were three older ladies who kept looking at us.  I figured it was because I was sitting next to a super cute kid.  He tends to attract the old ladies.  :)  But then one of them (the oldest one) came over and sat down at my table.  My first thought was that she was super confused, until she said, "Did you know that we are relation?"  "Um....no I didn't!"  And it turns out that her husband (now deceased) was cousins with my Grandma and Aunt Joy.  She's a Gerig!  AND she goes to Pathway.  AND she remembers visiting my Grandma and Grandpa in their assisted living facility and hearing me play piano for them.  She guessed I was about 18 back then.  TEN years ago.  Whoa.  She was not confused at all.  I asked her what her name was, and then I introduced myself as Kendra and she said, "Oh, I know your name."  Nothing like meeting distant relatives at the food court, huh?

4.  A couple weeks ago we were putting some of Jack's clothes away that he'd outgrown.  He had a couple Puma tracksuits that people gave him for his birthday last year that were SUPER cute and I LOVED putting on him last spring.  But sadly, they got put into the big plastic bins destined for the attic.  Today I walked into Macy's, totally minding my own business, and spotted toddler boy Puma tracksuits.  The price tag said $44.  Sorry, I'm not spending $44 on play clothes for a toddler.  And then I saw the sign above them said $19.99.  Yesssss!!!  But it gets better....I happened to look through my little pouch of gift cards in my purse and found a Macy's card for $20!  The two gold rings on it told me that we've had that card since October 11, 2008.  Whoever gave us that gift card for our wedding probably was not thinking I would use it on clothes for our two-year-old, but that's exactly what I did.  Ah-thank you.

5.  Last, but definitely not least.  I had gotten several texts while we were in the mall, so Jack and I took a break and sat on a bench so I could answer a few of them.  When I got done, I looked over at him and he was doing "Open them, shut them, open them, shut them," with his hands.  This is what they do in KidCity at Pathway before they pray.  So I did it with him.  When we got done with the little chant he put his hands in his lap and said, "Pray."  So we did.  We thanked God for days like today when we can go to the mall and have fun together.  We thanked God for Jack being SUCH a good boy while we were at the mall (which is a huge blessing in itself!).  And for everything that He's given us.

Normally I don't pray out loud on a bench in the middle of the mall.  But it just seemed fitting today.  Because Jack asked for it.  And because God really blessed the pants off us today.  Were any of these big, huge, life-changing blessings?  Nope.  But they definitely made our day more special.  And I'm so glad that Jack reminded me to thank Him for it.