A Peculiar Way to Spend the Evening.
I met my new neighbours the day I moved into this place, and elderly couple. I shall call them Mary and Boaz.
Since I moved in we had not had much to do with each other, perhaps because I was in NZ… and I found when I returned that Mary had been rushed off to hospital soon after Christmas with a stroke and so it's noteworthy that she came home this week remarkably unaffected by it but for fatigue and a wee bit of emotional upheaval.
I'd been getting updates from Boaz about her condition and recovery, and during these updates Boaz had let slip that there are family issues, some of them concerning the family's reaction to their marriage of 3 years, (she's a widow, he long divorced) and in his opinion these issues contributed significantly to her blood pressure and subsequent stroke.
It's clear that things are obviously in a bit of upheaval above stairs (my flat is directly below them) that's to be expected when faced with the changes attributed to brain injury of which I've had regular proof over the years with the fallout from Mum's accident. This means I am unfazed by what I'm hearing. I feel for them, it's difficult for a family member to adjust to someone returned from hospital who's a bit different than when they went in…
So, I introduced Chino to Boaz today, and in asking after Mary I heard more than I needed to about where things are at and I also extended an invite through him, to Mary to come and visit the adorable creature should she feel up to it at any point. Chino's just lovely to friends who visit and will cuddle anyone (what's the masculine equivalent of hussy again?). He's good for the soul.
And so she popped down around 6ish to meet him and to catch me up with her life.
And she was still here at 9.30 – I think I heard her whole history, of her first marriage and of her current one, her church history… you name it? I've heard it…
That lady can talk up a storm… it was just a very unusual conversation and covered all issues of marriage, church, God, prophesy (I know… it was trippy even for me), children, Boaz and so on. She's delighted there's a Christian in the downstairs flat now, I'm an answer to her prayers!! She had raised eyebrows for the couple here before me who had named their firstborn after their favourite beer… (I'm a far cry from that… I shall name my first born Tequila… it goes without saying…) anyway, this is where it gets funky; she's one of those seriously spiritual women who prays all the time and is known to deliver words of prophecy to people. Lots of prophetic words, some of them a bit on the odd side I suspect…
And as she unburdened her heart to me about her current woes we prayed together (which was lovely) and I blurted out a prayer request to her a simple one asking that she pray about my husband.
The result was a little unexpected. I had imagined that what she would do would be return home and occasionally, as she prayed, remember me to God and ask him to hurry up and deliver that man of mine…
Instead, what I got was a ‘prophecy' about a 40 year old former forward (as in football), muscular, with a darker complexion, shy humour, someone who loves soup rather than sweets. I'll meet him at church, he's apparently already there, and he'll help me with some task I need doing and in thanks I'll feed him… and that will be the start…
I know… it's weird – even for a reasonably spiritual girl like me and in these situations the skeptical me will be very sensible and take everything she's said with a grain of salt. I know for a fact God is capable of lining things up like this, and of sending a prophet to tell me about it but my general sources of guidance, spiritual or otherwise, has always considered more factors than a simple ‘word' from someone who I do not know well and in whom I've yet to develop serious trust.
But the romantic in me goes… there's a former All Black out there somewhere with my name on him…