Sherri Stewart: A Day in the Life of a Fool
A Day in the Life of a Fool
Remember that verse in I Corinthians 1: 27 where God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise? I am so glad God chose me as one of His little fools.
It was colder than most January days in Calgary, Alberta—so cold that I was reluctant to drive my old Volvo too far from home, but I hated to miss the first day of the new semester. After dropping my son off at the babysitter’s, I decided it would be safer to take the subway, something I had never done before. A small voice inside reminded me that whenever I do something for the first time, I make mistakes, but I told myself that taking a subway wasn’t rocket science, was it?
I bought my ticket, but knew I would have to transfer downtown to another train that would take me to the university. I wasn’t sure how to do that, but surely someone would help.
When I arrived downtown, I jumped off the train and was waiting for the corresponding one to arrive when a thought struck me. I had left a pot of potpourri simmering on the stove. Great. Why hadn’t I thought to turn the stove off? It had been two hours, and soon the water would evaporate, the pot would catch on fire, and we’d lose everything. I thought of my poor dog as I dug a quarter out of my purse to call a neighbor with a key to my house when I realized my purse was missing. (this was before cell phones). I’d left my purse on the train. No car, no keys, one quarter.
I prayed for God’s help.
Taking a deep breath, I called my next-door neighbor who wasn’t home, but my husband was in town, which was rare since he worked for a hockey team that was always on the road. Bobby was gracious as always and didn’t reprimand me for being an idiot.
While I waited for him to pick me up, I stopped the conductor of an arriving train and told him about my purse. He said he would alert the other drivers to be on the lookout.
As Bobby and I raced toward our house, I scanned the sky for rising smoke in the northeast. Bobby reminded me that we would have to cancel our credit cards and get a locksmith to unlock my car since we didn’t have an extra key.
No smoke billowed out of the house, but I didn’t wait for the car to slow down before I jumped out, opened the garage door, and ran into the kitchen. The red light on the stove was still on, the burner under the small pot was red hot, but the potpourri floating inside the pot wasn’t simmering. I dipped my finger in the brown liquid. It was ice cold. ICE COLD.
The same God who parted the Red Sea and made the sun stand still made the liquid on a red-hot burner ice cold.
But that’s not all. A few hours after I cancelled my credit cards, I received a call from the transit company. They found my purse in a plastic bag. Someone had taken the cash, but left everything else—my passport and visa, my checkbook, credit cards, keys, and driver’s license. I called the bank to see if they would disregard my request to cancel my card,s but knew it was a lost cause. The woman at the bank said that the system had gone down after I called so my credit cards were still good.
I made a lot of mistakes on that cold January day, but God didn’t reprimand me. I was doing enough of that myself. He made simmering water cold and made the bank’s system stand still for a few hours for me. Instead of being the worst day of my life, God gave me a story to tell.
Newly retired from teaching, Sherri Stewart is transitioning into full-time writing and editing, but she makes time for her other love—spending time with her family, especially with her 89-year-old mother. She also enjoys travelling to locations to research her books. Israel is her next destination, a trip she has looked forward to for years. Sherri lives with her husband, Bobby, with whom she is celebrating her fortieth wedding anniversary. Son Joshua works at Disney and keeps her laughing. She hones her craft through organizations such as Word Weavers International, American Christian Fiction Writers, and Christian Pen.
Social Media Contacts
Amazon Author Page
https://www.amazon.com/author/sherristewart/
Website
https://www.facebook.com/sherristewartauthor/
Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/758893.Sherri_Stewart/blog
Books by Sherri Stewart
Call Me Jane by Sherri Stewart
Call Me Jane
Her feet are wet from walking on water. Why is she still wearing her shoes? That was her first question when the fugue cleared. But she has more pressing questions, such as —who is she, where does she live, and how did she end up on Peachtree Street on a cold November night wearing nothing but a nightgown?
With Officer Kyle Rossi’s help, Jane, as she prefers to be called, begins the journey to discover her identity. But the more she learns about the real Aubrey Sutherland, the more she realizes she can’t trust anyone, especially those closest to her, but Jane also learns that a concussion might be the best thing that ever happened to her.
