A simple hug

Hi all!!!!

I'd like to share a little bit of my morning with you...

I dropped my best friend, Jen, off at work this morning and headed into my favorite gas station to grab something to drink. I've become friends with all of the employees there and I look forward to seeing their faces every day...(yup, I go in there a lot :)

I waved and said "hi" to everyone at the front counter as I headed over to the coffee station. There, hard at work, was Jane, (whose name I changed.) I asked her how her day was going so far and she said she was alright. I could see in her eyes and from her countenance that she was far from alright. With my full attention and eye contact, she could see I truly cared and wanted to be there for her more than our world's cavalier "hey, how are ya" greeting.

She then shared with me that late last night she had just found out that her best friend has been hit with another wave of cancer. He was in the clear after extensive treatments, but it looks like the disease is rearing its ugly head again.

This woman is at her wit's end. Jane, herself, has had several neck surgeries and needs to have back surgery in the near future. She's struggling with constant pain, coupled with the fear of the unknown. She has no insurance and doesn't know how she will provide for herself with these new bills and road-blocks. Adding to this already unbearable load, she is now riddled with the fear of losing a precious loved one.

Fighting back painful tears, she tried to gather herself and flash me a saddened smile. Along with many of us, she's learned that life isn't always kind and has built a strong, thick exterior of self-protection around her fragile heart. If only for that sweet moment, the walls were crumbling down.

I encouraged her with the words on my heart and reached in to give her the hug she may have been most longing for. Jane just needed comfort...a smiling, loving face amidst a sea of fear, struggle, and countless blank faces. She needed to know she's not alone and that she doesn't have to GO IT alone.

I asked for her friend's first name and told her I would truly be praying for both of them. Among many things, I told Jane, "I tell ya, God has made me a woman of great faith in Him. You may not even believe in prayer, but I do, and I have seen God's power and miracles. I will be praying for you two."

So often, I think we're all over-thinking life and how to make a lasting difference while we're here. The answers are so simple, we overlook them all the time. I'll tell you how we change this world: STOP, PRAY, and LOOK. Stop what you are doing...stop crossing off things from your "to do" list. Pray for God to open your eyes to opportunity to love someone and ask for Him to place people in your path who need a touch from someone who truly cares. Look into the face you see right next to you...in the grocery line; at the gas pump; in your every day. We all are in need of comfort, acceptance, and love. This is how we can make a difference in each others' lives...BY SHOWING WE CARE.

Stop and genuinely ask someone how they are doing; share a sweet smile; feed someone with a much-needed hug. This is how we can be the hands and feet of Christ to each other and those who are unknowingly, but desperately longing for His AMAZING grace...