Conversations

Conversations for most people are daily, a way of life. We have conversations that we never want to end, conversations that begin seriously and end in laughter complete with tears, there are conversations we avoid, hard conversations, conversations that we don't understand, conversations that leaves us sad, in tears, and the ever popular conversations that we practice in our mind. Most of those conversations never happen, but we are just being prepared. We answer back to questions that may never arise. Or worse, we practice the wrong conversation for the situation. If I had the time and energy back from all those pretend, what if conversations, I wouldn't need to go to bed so early to be rested.

This week there have been some tough conversations for me, both real and imagined. Sitting here on this hot but beautiful Saturday I cannot help but think that God would have liked me to direct some of those conversations His way in prayer.

Last Sunday after church Roy and I went to The Nord for lunch and to return a shirt he already had. The Bistro on Sunday is not very busy and quiet enough for conversation. We arrived to half of the place taken up by a group celebrating something, but hard to discern what exactly brought them all to this place. People arriving and used to quick seating where not thrilled with a wait. I have a friend who wonders and ponders groups at restaurants and doing my best imitation of her, I asked the waiter about the group. It was 75 celebrating a graduation. Never got a sense of who was being honored. After lunch Roy bought 4 pairs of shoes...unheard of any time before in all our shoe shopping days for Roy. He has a difficult foot to fit, 13 A.

Thursday night I had dinner with a friend and she was the ever so lucky one to get a rambling conversation with me about choices and decisions I need to make in the immediate future. I think I needed to say some of it out loud to get a bit of clarity and organization of my thoughts. The Bible says to not grow weary in doing good and I am wearied, but I also make the choice of choosing joy. Well, most of the time, sometimes joy is a distant third in the choice range.

A couple of weeks ago, this was my devo for the day...Results of Waiting, by Charles Swindoll. Wow, God used Chuck's words with His Word to calm my anxious thoughts.

• Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary. Isaiah 40:31

Being reminded that while I think God is invisible, He is at work. That is the beauty of His invisibility , He can be moving in a thousand places, moving a thousand pieces, working in circumstances that are beyond our control. During a waiting time God is not only working in my heart but in other's hearts. All the while giving added strength. Chuck says first we gain new strength. We exchange our weakness for His strength. Second, we get a better perspective mounting up with wings like eagles. By soaring like an eagle we get perspective. Third, we store up extra energy...that part of the verse is future tense. Extra energy will be ours to use because when we encounter the thing we have been dreading, we will encounter it with new strength. Four, we deepen our determination to preserve. All the above happens while we wait.

I will be honest with you, none of that was my mindset on Thursday evening in our conversation, but I am being reminded of God's truth today. It is good to have a friend who is a safe place to ramble, complain and vent. And best of all, she still likes me and more importantly praying with me as I struggle with waiting and resulting then in tasting to see that the Lord is good in this situation.

This is getting long, but I will wrap this up with a conversation yesterday. Yesterday was my last massage with Stacy at The Nord. Next Friday is her last day. She will be going to a new place and I will be following her there. We were laughing that tomorrow will be our 4th anniversary as therapist and client but we celebrated even more the fact that we became friends through this business relationship. Sometimes the table can be as soul to soul talking as one will do when getting a haircut or highlights. We reminisced as she worked the knots and tension out of my back of all we had gone through both good and bad in our individual lives. We were grateful that we had come through and thankful for the friendship that helped in some of the bad times. I am the only client whose tight and knotty shoulder ever made her break into a sweat working on them. I am very proud of that honor. She remembers the first time she began to work on my left shoulder. Y'all that shoulder does some really loud creaking and popping. She was a bit alarmed never having a client with such a sound. I told her don't worry it is nothing. It feels better when you pop it. I remember her telling me I would love her treatment and I would be back. Yep, those words proved to be true. It was strange not making follow up appointments for the weeks and months ahead yesterday. She and I were a bit misty over the closing of this season but thrilled with the beginning of a new situation. I left relaxed and very thankful for Stacy.

Oh, there are so many more real and pretend conversations I have had this week, but thought I would share just a few with you.