Roses for who? for our neighbor, who else?!

Ok, so it looks like I am back with another story.
You encouraged me to go on.

You know, I buy flowers for Shabbat every Friday evening.  After I get the house (apartment) cleaned and have the challah dough ready and divided, and in the house (apartment!) its beginning to look a lot like Shabbos, I go out to the flower shop.

Its one of the exciting moments at the build up of the end of the week as the sun is still up in the sky, but you can feel that time of day when God is already in the readiness of bringing on the evening.  And of course on Shabbat there is that extra excitement in coming home to light the candles just before that happens,  to meet Him there and welcome the Shabbat!!

I have been going to the same flower shop on Fridays for probably a few years already!!! There was one person who worked there who I developed a friendship with , and she became interested in knowing about Shabbat and I had a chance to share with her about Shabbat.  She would always wish me a Shabbat Shalom when I left with flowers.

She has since had a schedule change and doesn't work on Fridays, so I miss her, but the other women are very nice and it started to become a place I feel at home.  They often tell me which flowers just arrived.

This day I was attracted to the pink roses that just arrived, so the woman at the flower shop who is there now on Fridays helped me.  As she put three together for me I asked her to add a few more so it was now 5, and then had an inspiration to ask for two more, to give to someone else.  Not knowing who, but wanting to share my joy in the coming of Shabbat.

The flower shop woman liked the idea of doing that and it even became a joyful moment in the flower shop as she wrapped one by one the two that would go to who? We both didn't know!  It was exciting to think who they might go to!! She wrapped each pink rose in clear plastic, and tied each with a bright pink thin ribbon the same color as the rose.  The ones for me she wrapped simply in brown paper.

I don't live far from the flower shop, so I wondered if I would find someone.  She said its hot out so people will probably be out going out or doing something.   I was encouraged and got on my bicycle and prayed that the Holy Spirit would show me to the people they were for!!

So I am riding with my eyes alert...and I was almost home but still hadn't found the person.   I  decided to give it one try around the block to a convenient store, and see if there would be someone on the way.  I saw a few potentials, but didn't sense the eye contact or timing was right.  I was focused on women, and saw two who were talking outside but no, it didn't seem that it was them as I approached nearer on my bicycle.  Oh dear, so now what! Dear LORD, I prayed, please show me someone !!!

Now I was at my apartment, pulling in to park my bicycle.  I was determined NOT to go into my apartment with the two gift wrapped roses, as they were clearly for someone else.  So, you know the LORD is faithful.  As I was walking into go into my building, out came a man.  There was a perfect moment of "intersection", and with enough of a clue as that, I stopped, and he stopped, almost as if on cue!!!  It was a neighbor on another floor who I know has a family.   We basically just are on the level of exchanging greetings, never past that.  So I wasn't quite sure how I was going to do it, but I knew I had to give him the flowers.  So here is the exchange!! (it was in Japanese of course0

Me:  Good evening

Neighbor:  Good evening

Me:  (watch what happens here!!)
Are you going out and coming back?

(Yes, I really said that!  I needed to know if he would be coming right back in which case I could give him the flowers to give to his wife.  IF he was going out for the evening, it wouldn't have worked).

Neighbor:  ( blank stare)

Me:  (trying again, and yet with all authority in Yeshua,  in knowing this was a divine encounter. Whereas ordinarily I would not ask such a pointed question to such a neighbor!!)

Will you be out for a short time and coming back?

Neighbor:  Yes

Me: (completely em-boldened to go on!)
Here! Please give these to your wife!  (and I handed to him the flowers!)

Neighbor:  (a little surprised, but not as much as you might think)  Thank you.

(so now this man, who is in a business suit but without the jacket, hence I sensed he might have just been going to the convenience store,  is holding two pink roses!!)

Then, the most beautiful thing happened.
Neither of us moved.  And then,
He smiled.
I smiled.
It was a smile that had come from an awareness of the divine in that moment.  Yeshua, Jesus, was with us for sure, the flower was from God, not from me.  He doesn't know Yeshua, but somehow I felt that he was meeting Him now. In that few seconds the light of heaven was there on us.

Then after the moment "finished" and the glow of heaven released us back into world time, I made a comment that was just a kind of "formality" but had a touch of lightness, and we both bowed as good neighbors do, and parted.

I realize today as I look at the pink roses in my apartment what a divine encounter it was, and how it took about three years to get to that moment.  From having a certain trust in one another from just plain living amicably in the same building at a respectable distance.

So that is the story, roses for my neighbor! Jesus knew who they were for!! And He gave me the words＊, in Japanese, to have the conversation and carry it out!

Shabbat Shalom!! Much love,
Jeremiah Shayndel Joanne  (wink to Sandi!)

♡

＊Since it is a Shabbat story, finding a way to enter back into the blog, and tie it into this weeks Parsha reading. This week's reading is Devarim, the first parsha in the Book of Deuteronomy.  Devarim means "words".  Will start again with pictures in posts to follow!