A Small Gift on a Cloudy Day

The clouds seemed to be getting darker and heavier as I hurried up the steps to church. Somehow, in my rush to get to a late afternoon Mass, I hadn’t noticed that a storm was coming. And because I wasn’t paying attention and was in a hurry, I had left my umbrella in the car.

For a moment, as I reached for the church door, I hesitated. I could go back to the car for an umbrella. Or I could be on time for Mass and take my chances on what might be falling from the sky when I came out.

I’m not much of a risk taker. But I didn’t have enough time to run back to the car and make it for the start of Mass. And, as I used to remind our children, I’m not made of sugar. I would survive running through the rain if I had to.

So, I placed the situation in God’s hands and headed into Mass.

As so often happens, I got lost in the simple and yet miraculous wonders of daily Mass, and I forgot about the weather until after the priest gave the final blessing.

When I walked out of the church, the sky was still threatening, but it wasn’t raining. I had enough time to get to my car and start driving. Minutes later, the sky was spitting drops of rain onto my windshield.

But I hadn’t needed an umbrella. And I was filled with gratitude.

It might seem like such a small thing—maybe too small to make me so thankful. But moments like that help me feel that God sees me and loves me. I know he does, of course. He loves each of us fully and completely. He loves us enough to create us, and he loves us enough to walk with us, and he loves us enough to want to bring us home to him in heaven one day.

But I like to think that he shows us his love in those little moments too. Just as we look for ways to share small kindnesses and gestures with those we love on earth, God looks for little, gentle ways to remind each of us of his love. You are his favorite, after all, just as I am. He could not love us more. And he makes sure that we have everything we need.

“God loves each of us as if there were only one of us,” St. Augustine said. And it’s so true.

Whatever you encounter in your life today, I hope you will notice some way that God is leaving a sign of his love not just for our world and the people he created but for you—just for you.

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