I stood looking at the flower options at the grocery store in Northwest Arkansas and started to panic. My oldest son’s wedding rehearsal dinner was that evening, and my plan was to have mini pink carnations in all of the bud vases on the tables. Their wedding colors were pink and blue, so the pink flowers were essential to the whole decor. Back in Colorado where I live, the grocery stores were chock-full of mini pink carnations. But in Arkansas, there were only a few mini carnations set in big, multicolored bouquets, and that just wouldn’t work.

Oh where, oh where was my big sister, Kimberly? If she were still alive, she would be here with me, figuring everything out. She was the planner, the organized one, the take-charge leader between the two of us. Since her passing from cancer in December, 2023, I had felt a little lost. Kimberly was the yin to my yang, and without her, I felt like I was missing my right arm, especially today.

I noticed my mother-in-law, Nancy, talking with a blonde, middle-aged woman who was also looking at the flowers. Nancy explained the predicament we were in. The kind woman started moving the bundles of flowers around to see what she could find. I knew she wouldn’t find anything useful; I had already looked through them twice.

Suddenly, the woman got an idea. “I have a friend who owns a flower shop near here. Let me call and see if she has any mini pink carnations.”

She took out her cell phone, called her friend, and was soon smiling, telling us the news. “She has plenty of mini pink carnations! And they are even on sale for 30% off today!”

I couldn’t believe it. “Thank you so so much!” I wished I could thank her by name. So I asked, “Can you tell me your name?”

“I’m Kim,” she said.

I caught my breath, and my eyes filled with tears. “Is your real name possibly…Kimberly?” I asked.

“Yes!” she said. “It is!”

I told her my late sister’s name was Kimberly and how I was really missing her today. “I feel like God sent you to help me right when I needed it most. Thank you!” And right there in the floral section of the grocery store, I hugged a real, live angel.

I sent my husband, Brian, to purchase the flowers at the nearby shop while I headed back to the church.

He called as he was leaving the flower shop with armloads of mini pink carnations.

“Did she give you the sale price?” I asked.

“Better than that,” he said. “When I went to pay for them, the flower shop said they were all paid for.”

I was incredulous. “What do you mean? Who paid for them?”

He laughed, “Kimberly.”