Always With Me

Part 26- Reagan Elliott

On Monday morning, Dahlia walked into the store a few minutes early to begin work. She was dressed in a very cute outfit and she wore a pair of boots that went up to her knees.

"Hey Dahlia. Thank you for your help- it means so much! I have some clothes that I want for you to hang up in on the back wall, and then I am going to teach you how to press jewelry," I said to her as she walked behind the counter where my cash register and jewelry pressing equipment was set up.

"Okay," she said as I handed her the boxes of clothes and the hangers to hang them with. She walked toward the back and began hanging the clothes. She spent about thirty minutes hanging all of the clothes before she came back. I showed her how to fix the jewelry, and soon she was already helping me. I left her to do the pressing while I went to the back room to get the rest of the clothes to hang up. By the time the day was over, we had a lot of the clothes already out and ready to be sold. The store was busy throughout the day, but it was much easier getting everything done with Dahlia helping me.

"Alright, Dahlia. Thank you so much for all that you did today. I'll see you tomorrow," I said as I flipped the 'closed' sign around.

"I'll see you," Dahlia said as she grabbed her phone and keys from the drawer beneath the cash register and dug her purse out of the bottom cabinet. She put her jacket on and walked out of the store and got into her car. I put on my jacket and then turned off all of the lights and locked the doors. I stepped out of the store into the dark night. It was only six o'clock, but the sky was very dark. I hopped into my small SUV and drove the distance home, thinking about everything that I accomplished today in the store.

Dahlia was a very hard worker. She did everything that I asked her to do and she worked diligently to get all that I asked her to do completed. Even though she was pregnant, she worked through it and tried her hardest to do everything that I asked her to do. She seemed uncomfortable, yet I knew that she was grateful for the job. She did tell me that more than once.

I pulled into my driveway and my kids were all outside with their Mimi. I lead them inside and fixed dinner. They all followed me into the kitchen and took a seat at the table. The small chatter was like music in my ears, and I went to bed that night thinking of all that I could possibly do to help the people around me.

Reagan, talk to Dahlia.

I almost felt like I heard it through my own ears because it was so clear, but I knew that it wasn't a physical person speaking to me.

"God, I already have talked to her. I offered her the job. Is that not enough?"

No.

"Well, God, give me the words to say to her. Obviously you put her in my life for a reason. God, I feel for her. She is only eighteen and she is very obviously pregnant. I seriously know nothing about the girl except for that, but I can tell that she is hurting so badly on the inside. She looks so confident on the outside, but when she smiles, she looks like she is about to break. Please, God, help her see that she doesn't have to break. Help her see that she is beautiful, and that she isn't alone. God, give me the words to say to her to help her make it through this difficult time. I pray that I will be able to make a difference in her life. Somehow."

I will.

The answer was so clear that I sat up from my bed and gasped. I had never heard God answer me so clearly. God had a plan for everything that was going on right now, and I got back into bed and cried out to God for all that I had to do. Dahlia Parker needed to know the love of God, and I prayed that while working with me, she would find it. That I would show it to her.