A dear friend of mine that I have known for 10 years turned 79 on August 23 this year. I met her on my mission. We have been close friends enough to say she is family. A few months before her birthday I really had the feeling I needed to be there for her birthday. So I planned a surprise trip.
I had the help of another dear friend Dorothy and John Daymont. They were so kind as to come and get me from the Tampa airport and take ma back to Sarasota with them. Dorothy helped me plan the party. The evening I got into town Dorothy and I went shopping for the things we needed to fix all of Ginger's favorites.
Virginia Taylor has dishes from Italy and we were having an Italian meal of Spaghetti, Caesar salad, garlic bread, a jello dish and then yummy dessert. The dishes were so pretty and really spruced up the table.
I wanted Ginger to take something bright and happy home with her as from the time that I bought my ticket to come and made it her Sister-In-Law passed away, her brother was in a coma, and she had been in the hospital just a few days before her birthday. I got her the Sunflowers and purple flowers that I don't know what they were called. But they were pretty and bright.
Everyone who was at the party. We are awaiting Ginger's arrival so we can shout....
SURPRISE!!!!!!!
When she first walked in she didn't see me, or at least didn't register that I was there. She took a double take at me and her mouth dropped open and she said what are you doing here? It was great to see her so happy and with such a big smile on her face.
I got compliments on the meal. The sauce was spectacular. I made a few adjustments to my normal sauce that I do and this was the best sauce I have ever made it was so tasty.
When it came time for dessert I told Ginger I had made her Butterscotch Pie and an Apple Pie. Dorothy had made Brownies. Butterscotch pie is her favorite and every year for her birthday she is told the tradition is cake you have to have a cake and so she has a cake this was the first pie she got for her birthday. She was so excited...as you can see in the picture.
The day of her party was the day she felt the best. The rest of the time I was there she got feeling worse and got sicker. On Sunday her brother passed away and I was grateful to be able to be with her and to help her out as she wasn't feeling well physically and emotionally. When I left on Monday she went back into the hospital.
She also told me that she has never had a surprise party before so it was great to be able to help bust her spirits in such a sad and hard time for her. The day I left I almost cried on her when I was leaving her not feeling well stuck in bed. She did cry and all I could do was hold her in my arms and tell her how much I love her. When I walked outside I saw her a couple of brother from church had arrived to give her a blessing. One of them gave me a hug and when he took me in his arms I lost it and started to cry and told him thank you so much for coming to give her a blessing.
She is now home and improving drastically. I am so grateful for the little prompting that Heavenly Father gave me to put me in the right place at the right time. It is inspiring to know that Heavenly Father knows what is best for each of us and those that we need to have near us when we go through trials. I am grateful that Heavenly Father sent me to be with Ginger.
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