Oh, hey.
So...my job allows me to meet hundreds, even thousands of incredible new people every year. Each one of them teaches me something valuable and new. This past April at a training, I started talking to one of them. She's an incredible woman who has already done so many COOL things with her life, including being an awesome wife and mother. She asked how certain things were going in my life, and that spurred the conversation I usually dreaded with all these people (even though I just love them and know they mean well.)
So we talked. I talked to her because I generally like her perspective on all things we've ever discussed. (Which hasn't been a lot, really, but everything we've ever talked about I come away feeling like I can just breathe better.)
She asked questions, she listened. We exchanged gospel applications to situations that seemed bleak, she told me similar dating stories she had before she got married and I started to feel a little better. It didn't change anything except the load felt a little lighter. We even laughed about a few things. The whole conversation took maybe 15 minutes, but it just made me feel better, you know?
And then this was her parting comment to me. I'll never forget it. In fact, as soon as we finished talking, I darted away from the hubbub of work for two seconds to hunt down my "scripture journal" that I always keep with me somewhere, and wrote down what she said: so I wouldn't forget it. :)
And then she hugged me and I wanted to cry and simultaneously leap for joy. She was an answer to prayer, and an almost literal breath of fresh air. I'm so grateful for people who take the time to really ask and really listen and then leave people better than they found them.
We make a bigger difference on each other than we usually realize. And we all have a hundred stories. If I look at my life like that...it gets a WHOLE lot more interesting...not to mention more fun. :)
Also, if you want to see how ultimately cool she is, you should check her out HERE. Some of you probably know her. And if you do...you know what I mean. Super great.
So...my job allows me to meet hundreds, even thousands of incredible new people every year. Each one of them teaches me something valuable and new. This past April at a training, I started talking to one of them. She's an incredible woman who has already done so many COOL things with her life, including being an awesome wife and mother. She asked how certain things were going in my life, and that spurred the conversation I usually dreaded with all these people (even though I just love them and know they mean well.)
"So. Tell me about your dating life."
Well, with some people I gave the surface-level response of, "Oh, it's going fine. :) How's your family?" and I could usually avoid any deeper interrogation on the subject.
But with other people, I allow the truth to come a little closer to the surface.
She was one of those people.
So we talked. I talked to her because I generally like her perspective on all things we've ever discussed. (Which hasn't been a lot, really, but everything we've ever talked about I come away feeling like I can just breathe better.)
Goal: I want to be like that for other people.
She asked questions, she listened. We exchanged gospel applications to situations that seemed bleak, she told me similar dating stories she had before she got married and I started to feel a little better. It didn't change anything except the load felt a little lighter. We even laughed about a few things. The whole conversation took maybe 15 minutes, but it just made me feel better, you know?
And then this was her parting comment to me. I'll never forget it. In fact, as soon as we finished talking, I darted away from the hubbub of work for two seconds to hunt down my "scripture journal" that I always keep with me somewhere, and wrote down what she said: so I wouldn't forget it. :)
"LIVE your stories! Our lives are made up of a hundred stories...we HAVE to live them, or we'll miss them. Don't worry about the hard parts. Just go out and keep getting yourself some good stories."
And then she hugged me and I wanted to cry and simultaneously leap for joy. She was an answer to prayer, and an almost literal breath of fresh air. I'm so grateful for people who take the time to really ask and really listen and then leave people better than they found them.
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| Just a few other people who make a bigger difference in my life than they probably realize...more on that later. |
We make a bigger difference on each other than we usually realize. And we all have a hundred stories. If I look at my life like that...it gets a WHOLE lot more interesting...not to mention more fun. :)
Also, if you want to see how ultimately cool she is, you should check her out HERE. Some of you probably know her. And if you do...you know what I mean. Super great.
2 comments:
I shall comment. :)
I love this picture of us and also, you should know that you make a huge difference in all of our lives too.
I am just going to throw this out there... you should write a book. You write SO well!! I love reading your posts... and I will be sure to comment more :)
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