Umbrella Lady

According to the forecast it wasn't supposed to rain. Not yet anyway.

I thought about grabbing an umbrella as I headed out the door, but there were no umbrellas hanging there, all of them having been moved upstairs when fall gave way to winter. Now that winter is giving way to spring we'll have to move them back downstairs. But not today, not now. I'm in a hurry. (Zoë problems). Besides, it's not supposed to rain quite yet.

Speed walking being insufficient today, we sprinted a good distance to the school before I grew too tired of pushing x-number of pounds in the stroller. You go, Ashlee Eskelsen! How you managed to push three children for 13.1 miles (and that quickly) is beyond me. Obviously. I needed to take a walking break after one block.

I would say it's because I just had a baby but her youngest is a couple of weeks younger than mine (also, my baby is patient enough about being strapped in the stroller on the way to the school but he usually loses it on the way home from school, so how do you keep your little ones occupied for two-ish hours of running?). Anyway....

It started to pour on us. Of course. Even though it wasn't supposed to rain...yet.


I pulled the stroller canopy over the baby, secured Zoë's hood, braced myself into the wind, and forged onward.

Suddenly, there you were, leaping out of your front door with an open umbrella in your outstretched hand, like a modern-day Mary Poppins, running across your lawn in sock feet.

"Take it, take it!" you urged, pressing the umbrella into my hand. "Bring it back whenever. Tomorrow or another day. Whenever. You know where I live!"

And you disappeared back inside (it was pouring, after all, and you'd just given me your umbrella).

It all happened so quickly, but I really appreciate it.

You were ready for me. You knew I would be passing by your house and when the clouds broke loose you were ready—and waiting—to ease my burden. You watched for me, you ran to me, you ministered to me.

Thank you, Umbrella Lady, for being my angel today.