God gave me a chance.

Today was an awful day at work.....but there was one bright spot.  A lady came into my office to reorder checks, and somehow I ended up being able to reach out to her and encourage her about a mentally and verbally abusive relationship she was in. It was awesome!!!!
On my way home from work, I was trying to recall the whole conversation so I could tell Dean about it, and I could not for the life of me remember at all how the conversation started. LOL! That's how I know that I know that I know that it was an opening direct from God. I just know that it was perfectly orchestrated by the Almighty Himself.

Here's the story.....

I normal don't work with customers in the branch, my bankers do.  Today was no different. Plus, I am in the process of moving back to the Hendersonville branch on Monday, so I am also trying to tie up lose ends before I leave, so again I wasn't taking any customers into my office.  A teller called my office and said there was a lady in the lobby who just needed to reorder checks, so I went out in the lobby to get her. A really nice lady, about my age walked into my office. We just got to talking, and she said that she thought who she knew me from somewhere, asked where I went to church. After a couple of minutes, we realized she bought furniture from me at my previous job a couple of years ago. Well we got to talking, and before I knew it I was telling her my story.  Telling her where I had been....but also where God had taken me.

It was an amazing opportunity. I was so calm, no tears (if you know me, that's a BIG deal!), no searching for the right words, no feeling embarrassed or ashamed of my past, I just talked to her. I wanted her to know that she wasn't alone,  but that she could do it, and there were better things out there for her.

My favorite part in the whole conversation was I told her when I finally realized that I was worthy of God's love, and let Him love on me was when everything changed.  I let Him show me what love really was. I told her how God turned everything around for me and my girls.  I told her I wasn't perfect, but that once I finalized listened to His voice....I got on the right path, the one He had chosen for me all along.

As she left my office, almost in tears, she thanked me for the hope and encouragement I had offered her.  She said that she remembered me from the furniture store time, and I really looked happier to her now. And as she left she said she was glad that she ran into me by chance.

But it wasn't by chance, my amazingly loving full of grace Father knew exactly what was going to happen today. I don't even know her name, but I do know that I was supposed to talk to her today.  All the way home I thanked Him for the opportunity, the words and the strength...and I prayed for her to feel His arms around her, to let it give her the strength and courage to move on and be the strong woman that God intended for her to be.

I love that I am at a place that I can tell me story, and share about how hard it was and it be able to help other women. My God is truly amazing, and I thank Him for using me to be a light in this world.

New Beginnings

I had quit blogging for a long time because my typical reason to blog was to complain or whine or cry about something. So when life got good (Thank you God! More about that later...) I didn't even consider blogging anymore. Well, then I decided I not only missed it, but I had a lot to say. LOL! Any of you that know me know that is definitely true.

Anyways, I wrote very openly about what was going on in my life for a long time, all the dirty details, no holds barred. Simply because I felt like there was someone out there that needed to hear it, someone that needed to know she wasn't alone, needed to find some hope in my mess.  I felt very strongly that there was a specific someone that I was supposed to reach.

Well, in the last couple of days I have realized I still have that call on my life.  There is someone out there who needs to hear my story, especially now. To know there is HOPE, there is NEW LIFE, there is a rainbow after the storm, that God is good and He still listens and He still blesses people beyond their wildest dreams.

So here I am....this blog is going to be a little bit of everything....
Some days it will be my mountain where I shout at the top of my lungs how amazingly happy I am.
Some days it will be my soapbox for my latest issue with the world.
Some days it will be a recipe exchange, where I can post about my newest food find.
Some days it will be a place for me to brag about my newest craft idea.
But every day it will be my place to thank God for everything....the storms, the fun, the joy, the glue and glitter, the chicken...
all of it!