Biggest Tip Ever!!

In our line of work, the Gibson Family that is, it is not uncommon to receive a small tip beyond the set price for a job well done.  And when that happens I am always grateful, as I was last night.  We were able to go to the Little America Hotel and play a company party and set up our photo booth also.  The people were so nice and we made some new connections for other gigs in the future that I was so grateful for.  I couldn’t help but think that God had led us there.  And if that had been it, that would have been enough.

Pleasant night, pleasant people, nice income and new connections, but sometimes when you think everything is just as good as it can get, well, sometimes God gives you even more.

Last night’s gig was for a company called Sport Court.  They create all kinds of professional flooring for gyms, tennis courts, basketball courts, you name it.  They also create portable floors for outside sports or inside sports, even portable dances floors.  Well, in our line of work we come in contact with the dance floor variety all of the time and in our twenty plus years on the job I have seen some beautiful floors, but the one that they had brought last night for Jason to set up sound behind was one of the most beautiful floors that I have ever seen.  Here is their link to their site.  http://www.sportcourtwest.com/

When we first arrived there, the location of the floor was a little too close to where Jason needed to set up, so they unsnapped a section of the floor, pulled it to the other end of the dance area and snapped it back together in the most amazing set up that I have ever seen.  Ingenious actually.  They commented that in our line of work that we really should get us one of their floors.  I even took the time while they were eating their dinner just before it was our turn to start, to look them up so that someday, maybe when other things for the business didn’t need to be bought, we could save towards getting us one of those ingenious floors.

Long story short…the party went smashing, everyone had a great time and we had a great time, meeting good people and doing what we do best.  As they pulled down the floor that night, those awesome Sport Court people, they commented on how tired they were and how much they didn’t want to bring the floor home.  A few minutes later they came back into the room and asked Jason if he had a way to get the floor home.  Of course Jason looked at me surprised and completely wondering answered her, “Yes, we have a suburban.”

“Do you want the floor?”

Just like that…biggest tip we have ever received.  Did I want to cry when she said that?  Of course.  In fact I felt a little silly for feeling so like a weepy woman, but I don’t think they could completely understand how huge that was for us. 

So now Jason and I and our business are the proud owners of the most beautiful portable dance floor ever.  With all of the weddings and corporate gigs that we play that is a huge blessing given to us from some absolutely amazing strangers that I will forever be grateful for.

Sometimes over the past years in my married life, Jason and I have had some very hard turns.  After Luke was born and I was sick.  After Jenny was born and she nearly died and then she was so very sick.  When Jason’s dad died way too young.  My parent’s divorce.  Jason’s job change and taking him away from us for a year while he was in Nevada and the loneliness that came with it and the struggle too to pay our bills.  But over the years there have been so many good things too, more numerable than I can count so I will just name a very few…

Our wedding and honeymoon.  The birth of everyone of our amazing children.  Jenny living when we thought she would die.  Jenny getting well finally after almost 3 years of her being ill.  A new stepmom that I could love and a different kind of relationship with both my parents that is more amazing than I ever thought that it could be.  Jason’s new job, the one that he has had for the past several years being one that he finds so much joy in and it sending him back to Utah.  Our business booming.  My beautiful new daughter in law that brings us such joy.  Watching my son grow up and Jenny coming so close and being so proud.  Having a new sort of closeness and peace in our home as our children mostly grow up as friends.  And most of all, Jason and I having the kind of marriage that I read about as a girl and dreamt about.  So close to perfect, even with all the very imperfect things that happen and people that we are, that it almost scares me.

Sometimes when all these good things happen I am only grateful, and only filled with so much awe at my Heavenly Father, but other times, like last night, when I already felt so blessed and then so huge of a gift was given to us I feel a little guilty.  Surely we have so much that God couldn’t possibly give us more.  Isn’t it our turn for a tragedy, even a little one?  And I know that that will come again, as it always will, because this is Earth, and this is life, and sometimes it just has to be hard, but I am beginning to learn that great times can come too and they do come and sometimes a billion times more than you deserve, and it’s okay to only be grateful and not to feel guilt.  It’s okay to say thank you without feeling undeserving, because sometimes that’s just what God wants to give us and he doesn’t need a reason, sometimes he can just say, “I am your Father, and today I wanted to bless you.” 

And you know, when those hard times come it’s that knowledge of Heavenly Father’s extreme love for me that not only gets me through, but always helps me to be happy even while I am sad.  Sometimes it is just okay to say, “Thank you, God, for loving me today.  Thank you for reminding me that you are there.”