Another young man I barely know blessed my heart this weekend in a way few others could. I know him only through his parents. Part of our 6 week journey in the hospital with BJ was spent drawing encouragement from them, and attempting to give the back the same. They spent 2 or 3 weeks there themselves, which was preceded by a month in another hospital.

Their daughter Shelby was one you prayed for, and saw the Lord heal and deliver! Today, she is full of life, and functions as a most precious 3 year old. Shelby has an older brother. His name is Geoff. I did not have the opportunity to get to know him very well.

Because of this, I have to say I was quite surprised by his reaction to our arrival. His mom and dad had planned to meet us for dinner the night we arrived in Ft Wayne, but Geoff had a dilemma.

He was supposed to go to a birthday party that evening. The problem with that, in his eyes, was that he would not get to see or spend time with us if he went. So paramount was this decision in his eyes, that he shed tears over what to do about it.

How is it that this young man who barely knows us feels such a deep connection with us? How mysterious this is to me. How has the Lord moved in his own heart, that he would endure this journey of his own, to bring blessing to us?

His parents figured out a solution. I must say, it was a perfect one. One that made our evening so much more enjoyable. They decided that they would make dinner at home. When the birthday party was over, Geoff would come home to spend time with us. We would all be able to fellowship together! And we did!

Since Deanna had to remain in Indianapolis, my brother Brad had come with me. We had an incredible evening! We had 3 year old twins bouncing in and out of our laps. We had their 5 year old sister showing us new games and toys, and sharing them with us. We even had a bit of conversation with mom and dad.

As we sat down to dinner, dad relayed to me that Geoff would be home soon, and that he had a "surprise" planned for me. One he had been talking about all day. One that might catch me off guard. I began to wonder...but had no solution.

Geoff got home just after dessert. He is the oldest of the children, and relayed what kind of party it had been. He had a great time.

We spent time hearing from his heart. He took us to his room (each of the children did) and showed us a huge project he had recently completed. He was into Lego's. I was very impressed with his Lego-land achievements! On the floor was an large semi truck...a tractor trailer that looked very real. He said it had taken him about a week to complete! It was amazing. I was surprised that one this young would have the 'stick-to-it-iveness' to stay on such a large project. He had, and had done very well.

The girls and I returned to the family room, while my brother and Geoff remained in his room to talk through project and others.

A short time later, Brad returned and sat down. I did not miss Geoff until it happened. Suddenly without warning, there was a loud noise...I was hit! Grabbing the back of my left shoulder, I turned to see an impish grin on the face of this young Nerf-war gamesman.

In that moment, I tried to catch my breath as the rewind button raced backwards to the times that BJ had done this to me. How did Geoff know? How could he possibly comprehend how meaningful this would be to me? What precious insight, and how awesome it was to once again be surprise attacked, by one who clearly had deep love in his heart.

Later, as he sat in the safety zone of his father's lap, I returned fire, pegging him in the chest. I think he was as surprised as I had been.

Later, as we were saying our goodbyes and walking out to our car, Geoff pointed out another accomplishment. He had raked the fallen leaves in the front yard, into a pile. A pile that also flooded my mind with missed days gone by. Days I can only retrieve through the process of remembering. Days I might have forgotten about had young Geoff not been used of the Lord to help me remember!

Thank you Geoff for your loving heart. The Lord is doing a work in your young life. A work that has blessed mine!

brent