Windows of Heaven.

Ok, this is my weeping, bawling moment of total adoration at the miracles performed in my life.

This starts a week ago.

I'm on lunch break, my phone rings. Its UHEAA, the place that I have one of my student loans through. Turns out that for some less than fantastic reason, the $150 that I sent to them 3 weeks ago never cleared, they want money. Pronto. (remember this money? this was the bill that went through early leaving me stranded on my date with Wes with no money...fantastic) I call the bank. They have NO record of it, and I don't have those funds in my account...double fantastic. The rest of the week its both of my student loans calling me begging for money, My phone company calling me every morning and a certified letter in the mail from the bank. For some reason, they didn't get the last payment I made, even though I made it in person, AT THE BANK! And so my car loan is 2 months late. Triple fantastic. My financial life is in total shambles, and I'm scraping pennies for the change to buy a 1 dollar 6 pack for ramen for lunch for the next two weeks. Joy.

Cue to Thursday. My trainer leaves for a week because her son is coming home safe from Afghanistan. No prob right?! Wrong. My boss goes in to this horrific tizzy the first day she is gone, all because his sons 7th grade football team WALLOPED the Star Valley team. (Still don't get WHY he was pissed, but there ya go.) Anyway, he is in this red faced rage all day. And the next day. He yelled at all of us. Nonstop. I think I'm getting an ulcer.

Wes has been the typical guy...(at least the typical guy in MY life). He seemed way into me for a few weeks. I'm thinking there is this great guy, really nice, and we just click SO WELL. I'm not getting my hopes up too much, I'm far to realistic for that, but I'm liking where this friendship is headed. Then, nothing. Not a "Hey, How you doing?" Just nothing. Squat. I decide to let it sit for a while. One day he sends me this long heated text about Born Again Christians and being all up in your face. Says he just needs to vent. I'm ok with that. I'm thinking that maybe he was just busy, that I didn't scare him off as fast as all the other guys. That things are different. But all this last week, it was NOTHING. And I have NO CLUE WHY! Urgh...Fine. Whatever.

So Saturday rolls around. Conference! YES! I have to go to the bank...PRONTO. I get in my car and I notice my tank being lower than I am really comfortable with. Well...No choice but to move forward. I get up to the bank, freaking out because my gas tank is in the red. My car payment was more than I could handle, My phone bill was too high and my student loans are HUGE. I'm feeling totally overwhelmed. (ok, sorry...rewind about 20 minutes....I get the darn certified letter, and I'm panicking about these bills, but I remember a line from my Patriarchal Blessing, it says that if I remember to pay my tithing, the windows of heaven will be opened unto me. My paycheck isn't even in the bank, but I pull out my checkbook, and write out a check for my tithing, current and past due. I drop it off on my way, and a reassuring feeling of things being ok comes over me.) Back to the bank. I hand the teller my check, and ask her to transfer the needed funds to my car loan payment. I had to scrape my jaw off the pavement when she said it was just the normal payment. I hand her the certified letter, dated the 28th and explain that I need this taken care of right away. Scanning her magic computer full of data, she sees no record of that past due amount. However, she does happen to find a payment made on the same day the letter was sent. I shoot a quick text to my mom asking if she paid on my car, but I don't get a fast reply. Feeling ok about things, she hands it all back, I make my normal payment, and I leave, whispering a quiet prayer of gratitude in my heart as I pull away. Suddenly, I remember the fuel in my car, Ill NEVER make it to the gas station. I glance down, and to my astonishment, I have nearly a quarter of a tank more than I did when I stopped. "Ok....Ill go with it..." Just as I pull into the gas station, I get a text from my mom saying she didn't because she just cant afford it right now, but curious as to why I am asking, I call her, and while its dialing, I here Elder Holland on the radio, talking about how his funds in his bank account were never touched on his mission, that it was all there when he got back. I begin to weep with him, hot tears of gratitude coursing down my face, making my voice thick as I explain to my mom the miracle I had just received. First at the bank, then with the gas in my car. I'm beginning to garner weird stares as I fuel up my car, trying, but not quite succeeding at concealing my emotions. I finish paying my smaller bills, and realize that I don't have enough money to pay it all, but I have some...and if I can just wait two more weeks, I can be totally caught up. Windows of Heaven indeed. So even though not all of my problems went away, and I still have a lot to do to catch up on my student loans. Even though my boss will still be there tomorrow morning, with his short fuse and foul language. Even though Wes isn't quite what I had hoped for, I am SO very blessed! Just in case someone missed what I was really trying to say here, I testify that by paying your tithing in faith, the windows of Heaven will be opened, and the blessings therein will fall down upon you. It may not be immediate, it may not be big, but those blessings will come. (Also, one last silly thought....if our mansions in heaven are built through our faith, and we pay tithing because we are faithful, can we say that the mansions in heaven are built with the tithing we pay? ha ha...I hope that my tithing check just went towards a really pretty rug. :D )