What a journey!

It's been awhile since I've written. It seems like I don't have a minute to spare. Though I can't exactly figure out why that is. I have to admit that summers become rather lazy. Days by the pool, trips to the ice cream stand, late nights......days run into each other. What I love about summer is that there are no schedules to adhere to. No time limits, no boundaries, no routines, no must dos for the most part, just relaxation and renewal. I can enjoy the sunshine, a good book, a movie, a vacation.....it's ALL good.

I was so blessed to spend a week at the beach with my best friend of 42 years, Kathy. When we first decided on the beach and booked the beach house we were SOOO excited but we kept saying "but let's not wish our summer away" for it to get here. No need in worrying about that. The summer passes so quickly I hardly blinked my eyes and it was here! The trip was wonderful but it wasn't without some "wrinkles". Kathy's elderly dad fell down a flight of stairs the Wednesday before I was to drive to her home on Friday. He wasn't seriously hurt so we decided to continue on with our plans. But there were daily calls from her siblings and mom with questions and concerns. See, Kathy is a registered nurse and her family felt comfortable drawing from her knowledge. At times it was so sad. Especially when we would remember the man he used to be. There are still little spurts of his funny personality and that is bittersweet. Yes, we still see him in those moments but it's sad at the same time to think he will never fully be that man again. So our hearts were heavy but God literally showed us everyday things to smile at, things to marvel over, things to love and things for which to be truly thankful.

We also had a little car trouble. We realized on the way down, as the car thermometer read 102 degrees, that the air conditioner wasn't working quite right. EEK! Having just had the air conditioner fixed Kathy called her husband to see if he could arrange to have the car looked at somewhere close to where we were staying. Her husband called the place, spoke with the shop manager, explained our dilemma and also expressed his concern about them taking advantage of the situation (meaning a woman coming in that knew little about cars). :-) So the appointment was set and Kathy took the car to the shop. Though I protested loudly, she INSISTED that I not go with her. I said "well I'll get in the car" and she said "well I will lock it".....LOL I REALLY wanted to go with her. I didn't want her to go alone but she was steadfast in her request stating that she had some calls to make for work and she would make good use of the time. I was to stay at the beach and enjoy. She felt that with her dad's situation and then the car that she was somehow ruining my vacation. Not so, not even for a second. Okay, now hang with me here because this car story has a beautiful ending. So off Kathy went. The guy looked at the car and then called her into his office to have a conference call with her husband so that her husband would be confident that there was no taking advantage of the situation. He informed them that while the air coming out of the vents was not as cool as it should be, would not get any worse but would need about $500 in additional repairs (remember, they had already spent quite a bit already) to get full cooling potential. They decided that if it wasn't going to get any worse than we would be okay traveling home and they would figure it out later. The repairs would have kept us from having a car for two days. Kathy said the gentleman was very nice, very thorough and very intent on making sure that she and her husband were satisfied and understood his "diagnosis". She was at the shop for an hour and a half! So Kathy thanked him and said "I really appreciate you fitting us in (she said the shop was absolutely buzzing). Now let me pay you for your services. How much do I owe you?" The man said "Oh nothing Mame." She was shocked and she said "oh, I want to pay you for your services. You took a lot of time to diagnose and spend time on a conference call with my husband. I really want to pay for the time you took" and he looked at her and said "Mame, I serve a loving God and I want to do this for you". WOW!!! When she told me that I almost cried! Then she said to me "I thanked him and I thought sometimes we rob people of the pleasure of showing God's love".

Isn't that the truth? Sometimes we are so busy wanting to make things equal, tit for tat that we rob people of the joy of serving others! So Kathy allowed him the pleasure of being able to give that little gift. It was really beautiful.

So I posted on my Facebook that I was having a great vacation along with some great sadness (on a particularly hard day for Kathy dealing with her dad) and that was the exact day that that gentleman showed her God's love.

Think about the next time someone wants to do something nice for you. Accept it graciously because not only is it a blessing for you but also a blessing for the giver.

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2Cor 9:7

It doesn't matter the size of the gift, how much it costs or in what form it is given. It is a heart issue. As long as it comes from the heart, freely given, without expectations you've given with the right intent. Think about it....if you give a gift expecting something in return and you get nothing in return how do you feel? Are you considered a cheerful giver? Probably not.

But what about being a cheerful receiver? God is a cheerful giver. What if we said "oh thanks God, but I don't want to bother you. You're busy....I can do without your salvation today. Really, thank you though, thanks for offering. Maybe another time." Hmmm......something to think about. God is grieved when we reject his gift. It is humbling to receive or accept a gift. But to reject it is to deprive others of doing the exact thing God commands us to do!

Anyways, the vacation was wonderful, re-entry HARD! I thank God every day for Kathy. She is such a blessing to me. God puts people in my path that are truly amazing. More wonderful things are coming too! The new season of Women of Joy and the Leader's Retreat. I am so excited to get started. The women in my life are a gift from God and each and every one of them I humbly receive with thankfulness.

Have a GOD day!
XOXO