The Silver Lining

Today our friend, Jessica, asked us the question, "What one item would you want if you were stranded on a desert island?"

Seeing how the others have already answered practically with a generator, a knife, a magnifying glass and a water filter, I decided to respond with a luxury item ... my Kindle. I do love reading on my Kindle.

Ironically, a few hours after that question, the guilty (but still very precious) baby shown above smacked my Kindle to the ground and broke it.

In situations like this, I am usually hesitant about looking for the silver lining. For those of you who know my husband well, you know he responds quite differently.

When faced with a disappointment or a challenge, he smiles and says, "Let's thank God for this." I usually want to smack him then and say, "NO, I want my pity party!" But secretly, I know he's right and I've always been incredibly thankful for David's faith-filled attitude.

It didn't take long for God to parade the "Broken Kindle's Silver Lining" before my eyes.

#1 - When my daughters found out what had happened, they said, "Mom, we talked and decided to pool our allowance to buy you a new one. We want to cover for Eloise." They knew that nobody was blaming Eloise but for some reason, they felt responsible to help shoulder the burden of replacing the Kindle because "Eloise is their baby sister."

SILVER LINING: I got the opportunity to see our girls' commitment to their sisterhood and to see their desire to care for me by being generous with their money!

#2 - A dear, dear couple responded to this by sending us a message that read, "We want to replace your Kindle for you." I was so touched that my eyes immediately filled with tears staring at the computer screen. I didn't expect that AT ALL and was incredibly humbled by their generous offer.

SILVER LINING: God used this couple to remind me that He has blessed us with GREAT friends and that even though the Kindle is not a "necessity," He can use precious people like this couple to bless me with another one.

#3 - I didn't think Amazon would replace it because their warranty only covers their own defects and not "accidents or misuse." But the customer service rep said that since their Kindles "should" survive a fall like that, they are going to replace my Kindle for free.

SILVER LINING: I am still a Kindle owner ... or will be once I receive Amazon's free replacement.

We all have "clouds" in our lives. Some are completely minor and trivial like the one I experienced today. Other clouds are more painful and tragic.

What silver linings have you discovered lately?