My Loaves and Fishes Day

We have a lot of things going on this weekend. Aubrey is turning 8 and will be baptized on Saturday. I've been getting ready for that along with her birthday party and having family members come from out of town for the baptism. Not unusually stressful, but a little more than usual. With my preschool schedule it is sometimes hard to find time to run errands. I really pack it in on the days that I am not teaching.
My nephew had brain surgery on Friday. I was planning on going to their house to do some cleaning and laundry with another of my sisters. This would have to be on Wednesday, one of my "days off". But I started to look at the other things that I needed to do to get ready for this weekend and I considered putting off the cleaning day. When else was I going to get everything done if I didn't do it on Wednesday? Well, needless to say that little voice inside started telling me, "Hello!! You don't have a child who just had major surgery. Your children are all healthy. And you think that you don't have time to help your sister?" Needless to say I repented and went ahead with the cleaning day. And the most wonderful thing happened. We spent the morning getting the house clean and I ended up taking her laundry with me to finish at my house. After getting Ethan off to school, I looked over my list and got in the car to tackle my long list of errands. After looking at the list a second time I only needed to go 2 places. Did I not see that clearly before? I went those 2 places and came home and had enough time to finish all of my sister's laundry as well as all of mine. Did the loads magically wash and dry faster than usual? Did I end up with less laundry than I first thought? Did time stand still long enough to get it all done? I really can't explain it but I'm reminded of a scripture story found in Matthew:

"Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way. And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full. And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children. " (Matthew 15:32-38)

I can't explain how I was able to get everything done today just as I can't explain how the multitude was fed from a few loaves and fishes. But I can say that miraculous things happen in your own life when you choose to give up a part of it for the good of someone else.