Eric, our older son, and I were chatting on the phone.
“Mom, did you happen to save my old Uncle Wiggly book from when I was little?”
Uncle Wiggly? Goodness. I hadn’t thought about that old rabbit and his adventures for years.
“I doubt that we have it,” I responded. “Didn’t each of you kids already take the children’s books you wanted? I think all we have are the leftovers we’ve saved for the grandchildren.”
“No, I don’t have it either,” he replied.
“Well, maybe it was just too worn out to save,” I offered.
“Could be,” Eric said. “I was hoping to find a copy because it would be such fun to share with our Elena when she gets a little older.”
He paused for a moment. “Remember the picture of Uncle Wiggly in his car?”
No, I didn’t remember.
“The wheels were made from big, fat sausages. That was my favorite page. But every illustration was full of imaginative detail like that,” he reminisced.
That would explain why Eric, our artist, would have such fondness for this particular book.
“I even checked on Craig’s List to see if anyone might have a copy, but didn’t find one.”
Wow. He did have a big soft spot for Uncle Wiggly. And I had a big case of guilt for getting rid of it. Why hadn’t I remembered that book was his favorite? How could I have thrown it away, even if it was tattered?
Months later, my husband, Steve, and I were sorting through boxes in the garage. Two of the boxes contained the children’s books we still owned.
Maybe we could pare down to one box, I thought.
I started unloading the books and organizing them into piles. At the very bottom of the second box was—you guessed it–Uncle Wiggly. And it wasn’t in such bad shape after all.
I whispered a prayer of gratitude for this small but precious gift—a blessing that I hadn’t even asked for.
Does it seem to you that unexpected blessings bring the most joy? Perhaps that’s true because they give us glimpses of God’s love and grace–love and grace that is:
- Undeserved. Just as he “gave” me a book I had not searched for nor prayed for, God loved and provided for us before we ever searched for him or prayed to know him.
- Personal. Surely there are not many folks who would delight in finding Uncle Wiggly. The blessing of discovering its whereabouts was, it seems, personalized just for me (and Eric).
Similarly, God’s love and grace is personal. Remember the parable of the lost lamb?
“God loves each of us as if there was only one of us”—St. Augustine.
- Lavish. It is doubtful a copy of Uncle Wiggly will turn up at a Sotheby’s auction. It is not a valuable antique volume for which collectors will pay thousands of dollars. But for me, finding that book at the bottom of the box was like finding buried treasure, placed there by God himself. It was an unnecessary but perfectly lovely gift from my Heavenly Father.
I couldn’t wait to call Eric and share with him the good news.
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What unexpected blessing have you received that caused you great joy? Please share your story in the comment section below!
From the Inside Out 
Thanks for sharing! I have a son who is an artist, so I completely understand what a blessing this is:-)
I am currently searching for a drawing (work of art) that my son did as a child, so I can matte and frame for his birthday. It’s hard to choose:-)
Sounds like you will be the delivery person for an unexpected blessing yourself. What a fun coincidence that your son is also an artist! Thank you for being a loyal follower, Bernadette.
‘The wheels were made from big, fat sausages’. Love it! Great children’s books (and great books in general) open the mind to marvelous possibilities. I’m so glad God helped you find this precious book again, and for sharing the adventure with us!
Thank you, Ruth. I never thought of unexpected blessings as adventures. But part of the definition for adventure is: an unusual and exciting experience. And unexpected blessings certainly qualify as that!
I am honored you chose to reblog this post.
Reblogged this on A Heroine's Journey and commented:
I just had to share Nancy’s post about rediscovering a treasured book that was a big part of her son’s childhood. It got me thinking about the books that still make me smile. Mine was ‘Paddle to the Sea’ by Holling. What were yours?
neat memories and I hadn’t thought of Uncle Wiggly for forever! I bet God delighted in having you find that book too. He is that type of papa.
Oh, you’re right, Jean. No doubt God did smile. And, yes, praise God he is our Papa!
My younger brother Mick passed away in 2006. Two years ago…while going through some of his things in my basement…I came across a Jim Shore Lighthouse (Mick collected lighthouses). Mom took it and it has a permanent place in her family room. I also found…I know this sounds worldly…a triple shot glass. I didn’t even know what it was at first. I took it to work and they clued me in. Now, that is hardly a spiritual item but I claimed it as my own and have placed flowers in it and it resides in my kitchen. For ‘innocents’ like myself…this particular glass has a hollow base with three mini shot glasses shooting up from the base. You can drink from just one without the other two overflowing. Quite unique. In my mind…I have turned this into an ‘unexpected blessing’ firstly, because it belonged to my brother and secondly, because it reminds me of the trinity.
I love your innocence, Cheri, and your creative use–and symbolism– of a triple shot glass! You and your sweet disposition, kind heart, and introspective thinking are a blessing to ME.
This story tugged at me. What a blessing that you found the Uncle Wiggly book. I would have loved to see your Son’s expression when you gave it to him. Memories are precious. I bet you can see yourself reading that book to him. God planted that book in just right place and you found it just at the right time.
You’re right! God’s “kairos” time (from the post, “Our Time vs. God’s Time”) provided the special gift of this unexpected blessing. Thank you for bringing that fact to my attention!
God is so personal and knows exactly what the treasure is for each one of us. Lovely post!
Thank you very much. Indeed: God does personalize our blessings!