Gratitude: An Old Friend

Alma 17:32 - "... and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord ..."

So I was preparing for a date yesterday by stashing my car at the primary checkpoint, to which we planned to initially walk. As it was, I had to trace the steps I was going to take to actually get the date there in the first place, so I found myself on campus in the early evening, moseying on back to Helaman Halls.

I vastly overestimated how long it would take me to a.) drive the car to the checkpoint, and b.) walk back to pick up my date, so I still had a good forty-five minutes when I was only halfway across campus. We had plans to eat crepes at a cute little restaurant later in the evening, but I decided I was going to catch a quick dinner beforehand from the campus food court to tide me over until then.

So I was sitting there, minding my own business, eating a chicken sandwich while reading a book on my phone, when my neck started to prickle. I looked up and saw someone, way across the court, staring at me with a huge grin on their face.

The smile was incredibly familiar.

I blinked and stared back.

It came to me in a matter of seconds.

Grinning, I stood up and crossed the room.

Before I ever made it to Jamaica, I visa-waited in Arizona for three months. During both transfers, I had awesome district leaders, and, sure enough, there sat the first, surprised and excited to see me.

It was just as the verse above reads. Though I'd only known him for a matter of weeks, this old district leader of mine had proved keenly instrumental in my development and growth as a person and as a Son of God, and seeing him again reminded me how great his influence truly had been. We didn't have long to catch up--I still had my date, and I'm fairly certain he was already on one--but I was overjoyed. So overjoyed, in fact, I almost forgot to snap a picture of us together, something that hasn't been done in over two years.

Even something as simple as meeting up with an old friend filled me with gratitude, and I know my simple craving for a chicken sandwich was much more than what it appeared on the surface. It was another reminder that God is always looking out for me, and, by extension, each of us individually. And, really, I know that to be true, every day, for each of us. I do.