A full day

Today was a full day, consisting of reading from Isaiah this morning, talking to Ray after he got off his work shift, homeschooling Leah, a call with a friend, running errands in town, selling one of my ebooks (The Hands of A Woman), making a new friend, shopping a little at Kohl’s, and finally catching up with friends on Facebook tonight. I remind myself on days like this, “It’s not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?” (Henry David Thoreau) But I believe that today I was about my Father’s business!
I want to make sure my moments are counting, and are not just wasted here on earth. I connected with people today, not a surface, just-passing by, “Hi, how-are-you”, kind of connecting, but a deeper connection that feeds the soul.
I’m thankful that even though Ray has worked a whole shift, often without any sleep at all on his down time there – he is still willing to listen patiently to me as I blab on and on about something on MY mind. Each time he listens, though, I feel a little closer to him -( he probably just feels tired!)  🙂
I connected with my friend on Skype. Initially she wanted me to call her for us to talk about something business-related. The conversation quickly turned to spiritual meat. She shared with me how years ago, God had given her a very specific and  strong word, “Remember Lot’s wife.” He  told her to leave her family and everything familiar to her. In other words, deny herself, take up her cross daily and follow Jesus. (Luke 9:23) So often, we want to hold onto what is safe and familiar – what is comfortable. God hasn’t called us to be comfortable, but to be obedient.
We are often too busy staring back at the past like Lot’s wife, thinking how good it was, or feeling its regrets or what coulda-been-today, that we forget to focus on now and the great future God has planned for us. (Jeremiah 29:11) She and I also talked about following the path that GOD has for us – even if it is the road less traveled (which can sometimes be a lonely road, where others speak against you. But God is always with you and will never forsake you.) Follow Him. You answer to Him alone!
I also connected with the woman who bought my book, a fellow life coach and counselor. I discovered after emailing her, that she had been wanting to talk to me and hadn’t had a chance yet. We both had the exact same idea for a joint project, which I thought was interesting. It confirmed for me this was another God-moment. He astounds me the way He divinely orchestrates details of and relationships in our lives. There is no detail so small in your life that God is not involved in it, or is not interested in it.
And I made a new friend today, meeting her at Panera Bread. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, and smelled of coffee and sweet cakes. Here is one of the pretty paintings on the wall that I admired, as I waited a moment for my new friend to arrive.

Of course, I ordered coffee while I waited. I brought a colorful, spiral-bound notebook and a black gel pen, which later leaked on my hand and my friend’s as we wrote with it. But this woman was sharing such good stuff that I was VERY glad that I’d brought my notebook to capture and preserve what she was saying! She was in sweats because she’d been on a field trip with a school, and didn’t want her pic taken today because she knew then I’d post it on Facebook, lol…but next time!!!

It was so nice to be able to talk to a life coach IN REAL LIFE. I have MANY online friends who are like me: speakers, writers, life coaches, moms working at home, entrepreneurs. These are some of my fave people to talk to and learn from and teach/share with each day. We share hearts, we laugh, we encourage each other, we pray for each other on Skype, on telecalls, on webinars, in email, on Facebook, at virtual events. But I don’t know them IRL. I’ve never met them IN PERSON. Sometimes I wonder – if they met me, would they still like me? 🙂
It was just so COOL talking to a real live person about these kinds of things that energize me and fill me with joy – my faith in God, my upcoming Virtual Spiritual Spa in January 2012, working with clients, doing women’s retreats, writing, building a  business, my family, marketing, live events,  etc.  My family and my friends  IRL scratch their pretty heads at my “job” and just think I”m crazy. I’m kidding. But they really don’t understand what it is that I DO.  They have never run an online business and they don’t relate to it.  My friends online DO get it because they live it, breathe it, love it like I do.
So this new friend of mine, who I “met” first on Facebook, agreed to meet at Panera Bread restaurant at 3:30 p.m. and we did not leave until a little after 6 p.m.  I could not believe we talked that long with this being the first time we met! But why not ? She was outgoing, friendly, smart, funny, wise, and practical. She gave me great ideas and I shared mine with her.
It was like our own little mastermind right there in Panera, with me drinking coffee. The more coffee I drink, the more I talk. (Ask Ray!) She and I laughed, we fed off each other’s passion and positive energy, and we just had FUN.  We left, exchanging cell phone numbers and with plans to talk next week. I’ve made a wonderful new friend who inspires me, whom I would have never met if it wasn’t for the organization NACWE – God is so good!
My next stop: On The Border. (By this time, Ray was texting, “Where are you?”)  Have I ever told you how much I LOVE chips and salsa? It’s my treat every couple of weeks to go eat Mexican food. If I am missing, check the Mexican restaurants first.

I ordered the chicken fajitas tonight. I have never been to a restaurant where the fajitas arrived, nearly on fire – the thick, grey smoke ascending so heavily and quickly to the ceiling. People were coughing and staring and laughing, not just at my fajitas, but other people’s in the restaurant who had ordered them, too. A family moved their children to the other side of the restaurant to be able to breathe. Yes, the smoke was really that bad. But they were delicious. One woman on my Facebook page told me that she was jealous seeing this picture.

Finally, I went to Kohl’s “just a minute” to see if I could find a sweater with faux fur. Don’t ask me why, but I have wanted one SO bad ever since I noticed that fur is SO in this winter. FAKE fur, that is. (All animal lovers, do not send me hate mail about fur clothing. You can feel relieved that I am not advocating killing innocent, precious animals just to pamper myself.)  Here I am in the dressing room, trying on a sweater WITHOUT fur. I wanted to buy it, too – maybe next time.

Here I am wearing the faux fur grey sweater that I found on sale for $50 off – normally over $70, marked down to $28. I LOVE sales!

All in all, it was a most excellent day. I came home and chatted a minute with Ray and Leah about the day and theirs. We were all amused at something silly, and I heard the beautiful music of Leah’s laughter. I am so thankful to God for my family and love them so much.
I had received a postcard from my sister Maria, written on her recent trip to Boston, sharing about the unique  architecture of buildings there and long walks she and her friend made to the Commons, a huge park with an ice-skating rink. It blessed me that she had thought of me on her trip and sent a postcard – don’t ever discount the little things.
Then I checked my email tonight and a friend had written me, “I just love you!” It was the perfect day’s ending…now I can’t wait to wake up to tomorrow!
What was your day like? Make a good memory today with those you love, those you meet.
Please share your comments below.

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