April 12 – “I stayed quiet”

Yesterday was Find the Printer Day.  With the booklet for the sunrise service completed, and my 30% off coupon in hand, I headed over to Office Depot to see what they had to offer. 

The young lady in charge of the print department energetically greeted me and happily began entering my request into the computer.  Oh, this was the Quote Computer, as I found out later.  It didn’t take long, as her fingers flew over the keyboard entering the specs of the job, type of paper, and other pertinent information I didn’t even know I had given her.  I stayed quiet, mesmerized by the activity.  The initial quote appeared.  Well over $800.  I immediately spoke up.  “Nope.  That’s way too much.  Thank you.” 

Surprisingly, however, she quickly agreed with me, saying, “You are right.  That’s way too much.  Let me enter it this way.”  And those fingers began their journey across the keyboard once again.  I stayed quiet.  A second screen portrayed almost $500.  That was more what I expected, but again, I chose to stay quiet.  Good choice.  She still wasn’t satisfied.  She dove back in yet again.  I stayed quiet … again.  This time the bottom line showed around $250.  “There it is,” she offered.  “That’s your quote.  We can do it for that much.”  I suddenly found my voice.  “Nail it.  Let’s do it.”  I was afraid to wait any longer.  That price had nowhere to go but back up. 

Next step was to switch to the actual cash register computer.  They went through all the rigmarole needed to get everything entered into that computer, and the price came to that almost $500 one again.  I stayed quiet.  But the lady who had given me the lower quote overrode that price and entered the quote she gave me.  “Because that was what I told you …”  I didn’t argue.  I stayed quiet.  Then on top of that, she entered my 30%off coupon.  Not a bad price for 500 booklets.  God worked that one out.

From there I stopped by the hearing aid place.  I wanted to talk to the receptionist again after the interest she showed the other day.  No one was there, so I put a sunrise service flyer in the door and said a prayer that it wouldn’t blow away before it was found.  After I got back in the car, but before I drove away, who should walk up to the car from behind?  The receptionist.  She had been to the dentist and was just getting back.  She saw me and came over to see if I needed anything.  We ended up talking for about ten minutes about her life and about the sunrise service.  She seemed genuinely excited about the prospect of going.  Even asked if she could tell the audiologist about it.  Pretty cool God-in-action stuff. 

Psalms 126:5 says, “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.”

Father, thank you for moving in the heart of that receptionist.  Keep on drawing her to yourself.  Amen.