Blessings in Human Form

Ever played 20 questions? I love that game! It's fun to think up really hard to place items, or obscure people, just to throw guessers for an extra loop. It's fun to strategize the most effective questions to ask, and basically, it's fun to win.( I seem to have gotten the competitive Peterman gene) However, the person I'm going to write about today is not at all obscure in the Manhattan community. Pretty much everyone who has spent any length of time with her leaves feeling happier and loved. And it's IMPOSSIBLE to forget her. Just like it's impossible to forget anything in this life that is far superior to awesome. I'm not gonna try to stretch your guessing to 20 questions... once I started describing her, ya'll would know who she is. (And I'd lose, which would really be a bummer, considering this is my blog, and I try not to look bad on it :) )

The person I'm thinking of is... (As I would tell my Sunday Schoolers, "Drumroll, please!" ) MRS. DEWOLF! I already think of her an awful lot, but I have been thinking of her even more frequently as of late, because it's her birthday this week. You have to meet her to truly understand why she is so awesome, but I guess I could start by saying she is one of those people I am constantly people who I'm always thinking, "When I grow up, I want to be like her." The first word that comes to mind when I think of her is 'blessing.'

While you might be thinking the reason is that she is smart, pretty, and talented, and just all around likeable (all of which are very true) there is something more that I really appreciate, no, LOVE, about her. It's the way she can meet someone for the very first time, and make them feel really... valuable. You sense that she cares about you, even though she isn't "supposed" to. She doesn't do it out of obligation, or just to be polite, and it shows.

This past year and a half, I was going through a rough patch. She spent at least an hour out of every her hectic week (which was filled with homeschooling, coordinating  a musical, teaching piano, cooking dinners,  etc) and made time to talk (and listen... a LOT) to what was going on. She spoke logic and encouragment into my rather stubborn head, and she loved me even when I was wearing sweats and my makeup was all smeared. :) Did she have to? Nope. I was just her friends daughter who had nothing to offer to her but mixed up emotions and confused thought-processes.  It blows my mind that she would take the time to walk with me in freezing temperatures with me, buy me diet cokes, and sit with me in the wind and rain to get away and talk for a while.  She reminded me of the hope we have in Jesus, and made me feel cared about even when I was questioning my purpose in life.

I could go on and on, about how she is super hospitable, an amazing cook, can make even cauliflower and breadsticks feel like a gourmet meal, and has a knack for making kids smile, but I'll close by saying this: I love her so much. I sometimes struggle with understanding the purpose behind some of God's actions, but I've never doubted for a second  that when He created Mrs. DeWolf, it was one of the BEST decisions He ever made. I know He's smiling at her right now, and I thank Him for her all the time. I can't imagine life without her.