God Given Daisies — by Carole Devecka

Kisses Change Hearts...

Most people are afraid of a devastating illness, death, and the IRS. I have learned that if you really know and trust God, there is nothing to fear as you face anything that life throws your way.

I haven't written about my school/camp daycare centers for about a year and recently I was reminded of a true miracle during one of the hardest years I ever had to face.

Most of the stories I have written have been about God supplying all our needs at the very last moment. This is a little twist on one of those miracles.

Tomorrow's Promise campus opened at 6:30AM to accommodate all our working parents. The school day was from 9-3 just like regular public school. Before and after those school hours was structured free time with craft classes and different things going on.

The front entrance of the school was always a busy place with parents coming and going, paying monthly tuitions, talking with teachers, etc.

One morning at ten o’clock three men appeared at the front door. The were dressed in suites and ties and flashed badges.

My heart was pounding! Were they investigators from DYFUS (Division of Youth and Family Services)? Did someone lodge a complaint against us? What did they want?

One gentleman spoke up and said "We are from the IRS and we came to close you down!!!!!!"

My heart pounded harder and I prayed "Dear God give me the strength to tell the truth and face whatever is coming our way!"

I said in a calm voice "Yes, you can close us down, but first let me show you what we are all about, and tell you what really has happened here."

I asked them to walk outside with me as we talked so the children and staff would not get upset. They agreed.

As we walked the property up to the new building where the drug rehab kids were, I told them of the saga of what we were facing fighting the township, and being unable to generate enough cash to pay our bills because the township wouldn't let us use our campus for what it was intended to be. With so many kids, we were forced to move them around to different facilities costing us much more money than expected.

They said nothing!

As we entered the second building on the property, we stood along side of the 50ft. indoor pool. I just kept talking about what we do, and then said the teens currently in the building were here after being in a drug rehab facility. The After Care Program here included counseling, alternative schooling, and recreation.

Just then, the teen counseling session came to an end. The teens gave a group hug and then started walking towards me and the three IRS men.

As they approached me they gave me a kiss and moved on to kiss each one of the men standing along side me. As they kissed us, they smiled and said how they loved it here, and they thanked us for helping them.

The IRS men stood frozen.

The teens left the building and the IRS men were standing still — only now they had smiles on their faces.

I started to cry and said, "This is why we are here! We educate, save and protect all children.”

The one of IRS men said, "You are doing a wonderful job! We can feel it in the air! We know that you are having a rough time and that you are not pocketing money for yourself. We will work with you as long as you stay current paying the payroll taxes."

I assured them I would.

Thank you God and the IRS for believing in us.

Thank you teens for being open and loving and for kissing the feared IRS and melting their hearts.

— © Carole Devecka, God Given Daisies

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