A Living Miracle

“He must have managed to work miracles from Heaven in taking care of his family through inspired hands.” – Jonathan Garrard

A Living Miracle

“We were very surprised to get a phone call a couple of weeks before Christmas.  The caller asked if we were home and if we had room in our freezer, for a Christmas gift, and if he could bring it by to us that evening.” Jonathan said.

Jonathan and Rhondalyn have five small children at home.  It seems as if I see them almost everywhere I go now.  One of the first times I saw them was while attending a County Commission Meeting so I could learn more about a proposed tax increase.  The room was packed with concerned citizens when I arrived and I took one of the last two seats on the very back row.  I was a little disappointed at having to sit so far in the back at first, but that soon changed as I realized my seat gave me an amazing opportunity to watch the entire public interaction.

It was that vantage point that allowed me to see Jonathan, a tall lanky man, with a baby held tightly in his arms.  I was also able to see four other children and their mother all bunched together around this towering man.  The kids were tired.  It was late.  I could read the tired signals they were showing, but they perked up when their father went to the microphone to make a statement.

Jonathan stood proud and tall in front of the commissioners and said, “Please don’t raise our taxes!  I work full time and do everything I can to feed my children.  And, I do!  I don’t ask for public assistance!  If you raise our taxes I don’t know if I can do it any more!  As it is, my kids sometimes get tired of eating beans spread over a tortilla.  But, at least I can give them food right now!”

I was touched to my very core!  I spent the rest of the meeting no longer even contemplating the tax increase.  My eyes were fixed on a small family coming together to plead for continued self-reliance. 

By the end of the night Jonathan carried two sleeping kids to their car.  Rhondalyn held a third.  Their two oldest children shuffled their weary feet and sank into the cold car for the drive home.

Since that night I’ve gotten to know this young family on a much more personal basis.  We’ve worked together to become more involved in our local government.  So, the meeting we attended together just before Christmas was no longer in the forefront of my mind.  But, that all changed when I was meeting with Jonathan this week.

We were discussing potential candidates to run for our County Commission.  We talked about a couple of men who could potentially serve our community well and then near the end of our time together the conversation took a different direction.

“Last year at this time, we were all busy taking care of my father, during the last few months of his life.  It looks like this year, he must have managed to work miracles from Heaven in taking care of his family through inspired hands.”  He said in subdued tones.

Then he went on to tell me of how not long after the December County Commission meeting, we attended together, he got a phone call from an acquaintance, who was in that same meeting asking if they had room in their freezer for a Christmas gift.  “The answers to all his questions were yes.   We were delightfully surprised and humbled as we saw what was given. They had boxes filled with roasts, steaks, hamburgers and more from pasture fed beef!”

Jonathan’s conclusion to my county tax increase meeting experience confirmed my belief that miracles still happen all around us and that you and I can be part of creating miracles in each other’s lives if we will get to know our neighbors, watch & listen for unmet needs and then offer a helping hand of goodness. 

Become a living miracle worker where you live.  It’s what makes a city or a town home.