A glorious sunny Saturday in the Lowcountry called for a local fall festival to be enjoyed by young and old. Crafts, jugglers, homemade food, a scarecrow on stilts, and more brought a fall atmosphere. I signed up to participate and sell copies of Licky the Lizard and Grumpy the Gator. Preparing for the event took time and effort to make sure everything was ready to go. A plastic tub with supplies for the event was filled with books, stickers, bookmarks, and a few candy treats. I also needed a table and two chairs.
Each of these vendor events call for readiness before the actual activity. This time, tables would be positioned on a certain area of lawn. Folks would be ready to sell their items and make new contacts and possible friendships.
One new important part of my “list” of items to take to the festival was a canopy. Since I would be outside, a canopy would shelter me from the bright sunshine and provide a comfortable place for people to look at my books. A few autumn decorations completed the atmosphere of my “booth”.
A few days before the event, my husband Alan and I decided to open the box with the brand new canopy to make sure we knew how to set it up. Wait...notice that we chose a few days before the event to check on the canopy. I would have preferred to open the box as soon as we purchased the item. Yet, Alan felt he could put that canopy together without any trouble. He didn’t need directions. According to him, the photos on the box made assembly look easy.
Picture this. Alan and I are standing in the backyard. Canopy box opened, canopy, spikes, rope, and yes, directions, pulled out of the box.
The video online had shown one person assembling the canopy and lifting the cover with one hand. No problem. Well…
Alan decided not to read directions. He asked if I would stand on one side of the canopy and help to lift the 8 x 8ft metal in the air. No worries until we got the canopy base halfway up and realized we forgot to put the actual cover on the top. What good is a canopy without a cover?
Imagining the neighbors watching the situation, we looked around. A nice man across the street had been sitting on his back porch. “Do you need some help?” He asked. Chuckling, we said, “Thank you, we’ll figure it out.”
By the time Alan and I finally got the cover on and the canopy raised and secured, we were laughing at ourselves.
We should have read the directions first.
The canopy worked great at the event. The sunshine and the strong South Carolina coastal breeze didn’t cause any worries. I was safe and secure under the brand new canopy.
God provides directions for us. The Bible is the Word of God and we can find answers to many questions by reading His Word. Perhaps if we read His directions first, we can deal with troublesome situations more easily.
That canopy reminded me to read directions first, instead of trying to fix things on my own. God will guide us if we ask Him.
Yes, folks, “It’s Always A Story With The Hendersons”.
Blessings and giggles,
Mimi aka Melissa Henderson
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