A Blessing and a Gift

The Gift

She discreetly whipped away a tear that had started to cloud her vision.

"What are you thinking about, child?" Thaddeus was still studying her. He must have seen her tear up. Yet, the look in his eyes was not one of judgment but solely of compassion.

The woman shrugged and fought to keep away the relentless tears. "I was only thinking about my parents, but they aren't with me anymore." Unsure why she was revealing personal information to a perfect stranger, she continued, "They passed away when I was young, so I grew up in the foster system until I was old enough to get a job. Practically working my life away for the past few years."

Thaddeus nodded with a far-off look in his eyes. "I had a job once when I was younger. My father had sent me away to complete a task for him that I was so frightened to do. But along the way, I would stay in touch with him and find companions I could trust to surround myself. My father encouraged me to do what was right even when I was afraid. Do you have anyone in your life who will lead you and encourage you down the right path?"

The woman thought for a long moment before simply answering, "Not anymore." She could not find the strength to look him in the eyes any longer. So instead, she stuffed frozen hands in her coat pockets, fingers brushing against the paper—a single source of so much anguish.

"I can see on your face that you've been going through some difficult struggles recently." The woman gawked at him, but he continued. "During my lifetime, I have learned that the most important things are sometimes not seen clearly. When we struggle and focus on the negative, we miss the small moments. Those moments are what give life joy and encourage us to keep pushing on. Past the barriers of depression, sorrow, and hopelessness and into a whole different world where the lonely find companionship and the lost are found."

Esther looked back at the mother and son, who now sat on a bench, wrapped together in a tight hug with beaming smiles plastered on their faces. They looked happy and content. The feelings that she so desperately wanted to experience.

Thaddeus grabbed her hand and held it with tenderness, never taking his eyes off of hers. "That little paper in your pocket might remind you of your barriers, but I encourage you to fight. Fight for your freedom, fight for your joy, and fight for people so they will carry that strength to others everywhere they go. Be strong and courageous, for God is with you in every situation even when He might seem far away at times."

Thaddeus slowly got to his feet and let go of her hand. The woman stood with him, mouth agape and mind attempting to wrap around his words. "How did you . . ."

"Sometimes, the greatest blessings come when you least expect it."

He turned away from her and trudged through the snow. The woman's hands ran through her hair, heart racing, standing in stunned silence. How could he possibly have known all of those things and about the paper? She recalled the conversation, sure that she had never mentioned it once. In a rush of panic and bewilderment, she turned to go after Thaddeus but stopped dead in her tracks.

He was gone. The open landscape of the park should have allowed her to see where he went, but he was nowhere in sight. A black object in her peripheral vision caught her attention. Slowly, she walked over and gingerly picked up the book.

Esther flipped the front cover to discover it was a pocket-sized Bible, but to her dismay, it did not contain a name. Convincing herself that he must have dropped it as he walked away, she continued to flip through until she came upon a small slip of paper. It was a note.

"Dear, Esther.

Be still and walk with the Father. God Bless!

Your faithful servant,

Thaddeus."

When did he have time to write that? Yet, the most surprising part was not the letter; it was the check behind it. Inked onto the seamlessly innocent piece of paper was "Esther Benedict," with precisely the amount of money she required to pay off every last penny of her debt.

The woman collapsed in the snow and sobbed, thanking the Lord above for the unexpected and miraculous gift. With her head in her hands, she missed seeing Thaddeus gaze up at the sky and smile.

AUTHOR"S NOTES

I absolutely loved writing this piece with the theme of "Hope in the Midst of Pain" throughout the entirety of it all. If you couldn't already guess I really wanted to base Thaddeus' character off of Jesus and angels and how they are with us and watch over us every step of our journeys. We are never truly alone and I wanted all my readers to remember that. 

But anyway, I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions on this, and helpful criticism is always welcome. Thank you so much!