"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
-Matthew 11:28
On a day when the pain of Tiff's accident was affecting me deeply, this card with the passage above, and the story that goes with it affected my life.
The day, still vivid in my mind and heart, began simply. It was the first day I returned to work after the loss of my daughter. While driving to work, "I Can Only Imagine", the song which we played Christmas morning as Tiff's ashes were released into the Gulf, began to play on the radio. Listening to the lyrics brought tears to my eyes and a fierce pain to my chest. As the pain took me breath away, it felt like something was ripping my heart out.
I cried out. "Lord! Did my little girl make it to Heaven?"
Tiff had told me she accepted The Lord as her savior, but I still needed reassurance. I needed God to tell me she was okay, safe, and happy.
Parking my car and entering work, I prayed my sadness to pass. One of my first customers, a woman, sat on the deck(table 13). She ordered a cup of clam chowder and a glass of water, totaling $3.13. I served her and never shared anything about Tiff or her accident.
Nonetheless, when she finished, I left her bill on her table, and she left her payment in kind. With her payment, she left this card, In that moment, the passage Hebrews 13:2 came to my mind. "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." It is my belief, with all my heart, that this was an angel from God. That day, an angel in the flesh, reassured me where Tiff is.
Not only did this little card, this act of grace, subdue my sadness, it brought a smile to my face. I thank God for all the postcards from heaven. I know my Tiff is not gone; she has only passed and one day, there will be an incredible reunion.
"We all long to hear a good word: a word that brings good news, a word that can sustain us, a word that can give us the vision and courage to make it through another day, a word that tells us God is with us."
-1st Thessalonians 4:13-18
By the grace of God, I know, I will see that girl again.
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. -Matthew 11:28