Love is Here: The Beginning

Early December 2015, I walked out to my car on a Friday morning, heading to work. In front of my car were several Christmas gift bags full of presents. I was running late for work and thought my mom was trying to be cute since my dad had just come home from work and I knew as the holidays got closer his home time would be more limited and sporadic. I just grabbed everything and threw it in the back seat and drove to work.
When I got home that night, Mom didn't say anything, which could mean that she didn't know anything or she was waiting for me to figure it out. So I started looking at the bags without trying to make it look like I was snooping because if I was caught.... It wouldn't be good.... Cascadian Farms bars? Smart Water? A Panera Bread bag (no Panera Bread food, bummer....) A Hallmark gift, although I didn't know what it was because it was taped shut. Christmas lights. A stuffed dog.  None of this was stuff that my mom would buy for me and some of it was stuff that I REALLY like, so obviously whoever left it knows me....
But no one knows where I live. Let me explain that. I live in an apartment on my parents property, which is the last house on a mile long one lane dirt road, privately maintained, 10 miles from the highway, an hour from the city. Verizon is the only cell service. When you think you are in the wrong place, you know you are in the right place. No one comes to visit me, no one knows where I live.
So who left these gifts? Because I really don't think it was my mom......
For the next 2 weeks, I attempted to figure out who it was that left these gifts.  I just didn't feel right about opening them without knowing who to thank. Finally, I decided to take them to my grandma's with me on vacation and open them with her.  That way we could have Christmas together.
A couple Sundays later, one of the girls in my Sunday School class was talking about how God is good! She got these boots that she LOVED for almost nothing. Another girl said she had a tire on her truck fixed for free. I told everyone about these bags of presents that were left at my car. They asked if they were still in my car, next thing I know I'm opening all these gifts with my Sunday School class. A whole bag of snack foods, perfect for a road trip. The Hallmark gift? The manger scene. A warm throw blanket perfect for sleeping in your car.  Books for Christian women. As I continue to open the gifts, the more I am convinced that my mother did not give me these gifts, the more I am overwhelmed because I don't know who did and the love and generosity.....  I was on the verge of tears as we finished.... One of the girls asked if there was anything saying who it was from and I said 'no, nothing'
2 days later, as I was gathering everything to transfer to the rental car, I found one more bag..... With a card, full of gas cards and a message 'love is here, take it with you'. The hand that wrote the note? The resident artist within our Sunday School class. 
At this point, I am crying because God worked His miracle so that I wouldn't open those gifts until I was with those who gave them to me, but misplaced the bag telling me who it was from until 2 days later.
This message has literally shaped my entire year as I've moved through it, the good times, the bad times, everything. Up until last week when I realized that it wasn't just accepting love, but also giving love.
So 8 months later, I finally understand God's message for me in that card.  Sometimes it's not always easy to see what is right in front of your face.