Just as she thought nothing else could go wrong, the doorbell…rang repeatedly, it was if someone was leaning on it and when Tamara opened the door, she was. Normally, she was uneasy and never invited strangers in but this time was different, there was peace in her heart.

” I’m sorry. ” the young lady apologized. ” I was trying to get my cell phone to work, and my umbrella down. I didn’t realize I was leaning on the doorbell. I’m Tabitha Starr. ” Look at that old clunker over there, broke down again. “

” Please come in, I’m Tamara Moore. ” The pretty girl laughed at how similar their names were, and sat down, Tamara offered her a towel, she was fairly soaked as her umbrella would not go up and then would not close.

She was shivering so Tamara invited her to the kitchen for coffee. Her burned toast still on a plate, she had gotten up with a headache after not sleeping well, to whiny children and a husband late for work, and angry that there was no creamer for the coffee. Then she burned her toast, while there was screaming for pancakes, they got cereal instead.

She was thankful she had packed lunches the night before and that the laundry was done, at least the washer and dryer were working, the dishwasher was finished. She needed a new one, the sink was piling up. The ice maker stopped and started and their were still footprints inside refrigerator where her son would stand to get the chocolate milk or grape juice, even though she had asked him not to a million and one times.

She still needed to get a stain from a carpet and seeing the milk she remembered why she had not slept well having fallen in some spilled milk the night before. And now she had a visitor. Tabitha got up hurriedly and said, ” Here, I’ll makes some more toast.” Tamara told her not to bother but she already had popped it in. It came out golden brown and she buttered it. ” I turned the toaster down a notch for you. As they ate and shared that morning, the thunder boomed and the lights flickered. ” It’s hurricane season. ” Tabitha commented, and me getting stranded with a dead battery and no headlights, I forgot my phone charger and my silly umbrella is a piece of junk. “

” Here I am complaining and look at you, you look so tired. I am intruding. ” Tamara said she was tired and explained her ” worst day ever ” that really wasn’t and found herself laughing. Even as the winds whipped and rain poured, it was becoming the best day ever. She managed to pick up the weather and the storm was moving out to sea.

Tabitha washed the dishes saying she didn’t mind and while she was was getting dressed she had tinkered with the dishwasher and it was now running. Putting back the milk, she wiped the footprints, ” There will be more. And you’ll miss them someday. ” Tamara agreed, her baby was growing up so fast. But commented about the grape stain.

Tabitha asked for hair spray and went to work on it. It was gone as if by magic, but it was a good scrub. She asked her if there was anything else she could do and Tamara said no and asked if she needed to call someone or something. ” No, my boss understands. I’ll be there soon enough. ” ” Could I drive you somewhere?” She couldn’t believe she said that, she never picked up hitchhikers, but there was that peace again. ” I’ll manage. ” she smiled.

She helped her put a casserole together for dinner and gave her a pancake muffin recipe for breakfast. Then she noticed her Bible on the coffee table and started to read. Tabitha smiled and kept reading, and then laid it down open. ” You really should get into a Women’s Study group, they all have the same kind of days, believe me. I have to go now. ” She hugged her with the warmest embrace she had ever felt. She hated for her to leave, it was if they had always been friends.

Then as Tamara started to close the Bible, she read, ” Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for in doing so some have entertained angels without knowing. ” Hebrews 13:2, she stepped back to the door and saw her visitor going down the block, only disappear in the rain. And the clunker, a tow truck picked it up. She never said it was hers. And God her boss understood and now, so did Tamara.

Rebecca Jones

I write a faith blog and have been doing a study on angels. I am careful about strangers too, and no hitchhikers, and we should be and yet there times we probably have had an angels nearby. And we do all have those days. Hair spray works on some stains, I did fall down in chocolate milk, my ice maker makes horrible noises and here’s my muffin recipe.

Pancake Chocolate Chip Muffins

2 1/2 cups of pancake mix

1 cup each of milk and sugar

1/2 stick of melted butter

2 eggs

chocolate chips, as many or few as you like

Mix to a thick batter, pour into cupcake papers, so they won’t stick and bake 15-20 minutes at 400, you will know they are done when spongy. Enjoy!

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