Dear Reader:

Wow! I am still musing over one of the nicest God Winks… that took place yesterday. It is hard to decide where to start this story…so I will go way back to the beginning.

A few months after Clemson won the National Football Championship some crates of canned cokes with Clemson Tigers and National Football Championship insignias on them… came out as mementos to the big event last January.

You might remember I drove like a wild woman to Spinx gas station, late one night, on Old Orangeburg Road to buy a crate…there were two left and one slipped out of my grasp trying to get it in the back of the car…so I had a few “normal” coke cans…and lots of pretty beaten up-looking ones…but I distributed them to Tommy (my youngest son who attended Clemson) family and friends.

Then about a week ago…Tommy emailed the family to give us a heads-up that coke was coming out with small glass-bottled cokes ( 6-packs) with more Clemson National Football Championship insignias on them and he would appreciate all of us keeping our eyes out for them and grab any we could.

I kinda dropped the ball (or the bottle) on this request…life got crazy with a lot going on and I forgot about it. Then Tuesday night Tommy emailed to let us know he stood in line to get the last two six-packs and the woman in front of him grabbed them at the last minute.

I told Tommy I would check around for him since I have more time these days than all the “kids”who are working.

So I called Sphinx and their supply had come in last Monday and was gone the same day. Bi-lo, I was told, probably wouldn’t get any here in the lowcountry…they were being sold out in the midlands and piedmont.

So I called Publix. The Publix grocery store at Knightsville didn’t think they were getting any but thought the Publix on Trolley road would be getting some. So Wednesday evening I called that Publix…a young man answered and said they didn’t know when they would be getting some…he thought maybe Friday morning or next week.

Yesterday morning…I woke up and had a funny feeling…like I should check one more time. This wonderful voice answered at the Customer Service desk at the Publix on Trolley and again reiterated that she just wasn’t sure if they would get any but she felt like the Publix on Ashley Phosphate and Dorchester Road (behind McDonalds) definitely would. She even graciously gave me their number and directions how to get there. I thanked her for all her time and patience, hung up and called the other Publix.

I was told they were thinking the cokes would arrive Friday afternoon and they would probably be put on the shelves – ready to purchase Saturday morning.

With all that information swirling around I decided to use Thursday morning to just get caught up on some things around the house…first in order…watering the garden before it got any hotter.

As soon as I turned on the hose…a thought started running through my mind…what if the cokes came in today (Thursday) at Publix instead of Friday or Saturday? I kept pushing it out of my mind as I tackled another area of the garden… But, then while watering the morning glories…this strange sense of urgency swelled over me. .

By the time I got to the rose bush by the driveway…the sense of urgency to go to Publix had grown stronger. (I always carry my Iphone with me in the morning when I water so I can take photos in the early morning light.)

There was one rose bloom that was caught in the sun’s rays and so pretty I stopped to take a picture. That strange feeling came over me again so strongly this time it felt overwhelming. I needed to drop everything and go to Publix. I gave in to it.

I quickly put the water hose up…grabbed my purse, keys, and found myself heading down Trolley Road towards Publix. I tried to reassure myself that this would not be in folly since I needed to pick up groceries anyway for the weekend. It would save me from having to do it later when it was  crowded.

I pulled in and first went to the deli to get some turkey. There was no one waiting in line or getting a number…in fact, there was no one even in the area. Now those of you who shop Publix know that this is a daily miracle in itself…at least a good sign.

I finished shopping and went to get in line to check out. It was then I noticed a coke distributor putting new drinks in a cooler right beside me. Out of the blue I stopped and asked him “By any chance do you happen to know if this store will get any of the commemorative Clemson National Championship cokes?”

He immediately stopped putting the bottles in, turned around, grinned, winked and in a conspiratorial whisper said “I just dropped some six packs off with the manager…they are behind the counter at Customer Service.”

We gave each other a high five and then I did a u-turn in the waiting line…apologizing for “forgetting something.” I literally ran… pushing my cart to customer service. One lone lady stood there…and I whispered…”Do you have the commemorative Clemson coke bottles? ” She pointed to the stacks of drinks in the corner.

“Yes we do” she said with a twinkle in her eye. “We are limiting each customer to two six-packs.  She continued, “We didn’t think we would be getting any but some of the other stores kindly shared some of their allotment with us.”

“I think that is only fair to limit the personal distributions to customers” I commented and then added, “Can I get two now?”

She winked and nodded and returned with two six-packs. Then she stopped and looked at me inquisitively…“You aren’t, by any chance, the woman who called earlier this morning about these cokes are you?”

I grinned and told her I certainly was. And then came the God Wink.

“As soon as you hung up this morning…I knew I should have gotten your name and phone number…just in case. And then, sure enough, here comes the coke distributor with a surprise supply of the commemorative Clemson coke bottles.” 

“I kept thinking to myself that somehow I wished I could just “will” you in to  the store today…because I would have felt so badly if you had come tomorrow and missed out on our supply. “And now here you are right in front of me.”

“A God Wink” I said and we both nodded in unison. “Something just told me to come on in today…just to check…and there I found the coke distributor right in my check-out aisle…the feeling in the garden was leading me here…particularly one rose.” 

I asked another woman, working in the store, if she would take our picture together…it was then that I asked my new friend what her name was.  “Rose” she replied.

Of course it was…why would it have been any other name? Rose…with a big heart and a sweet smile…a messenger indeed for a Clemson fan in need!

*Rose even went so far as to check me out right there at Customer Service so I wouldn’t have to get back in line again. Don’t we wish there were more “Roses” to go around for everybody?

Rose, thank you for your kindness and for going the extra mile! It made this customer’s day!

So until tomorrow…“Love planted a “Rose” and the world turned sweet.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Sam and Donna…so happy you stopped by to show me that adorable grandson, little Sam, and that you were able to get your two six-packs, also, at Publix! Good news spreads fast!

*For Charleston County students school started yesterday…for many other school districts… next Tuesday (after the eclipse) will be the starting date…so I have been kinda holding off with the Back to School theme until everyone is back.

But… as a grandmother, of course, I just have to show Miss Eva Cate’s first day of back-to-school picture…back at James B. Edwards Elementary and this year starting school with a friend (Lilli) from the neighborhood she went to school with last year….isn’t it wonderful to already have a friend the first day of school?