Encouragement and Confirmation...From Strangers!

Sometimes, encouragement comes from the strangest of places...

Many of you may not know this, but my full-time "day job" is working as a Receptionist/Office Manager for a Funeral Home. I always get such interesting reactions from people when I tell them what I do for a living, and I don't blame them. It is something that I never dreamed I would be doing, and most days I don't want to be doing it, to be quite honest! This job is depressing, demanding, boring, and routine...all of the things that I despise. Still, I know that it can be a wonderful opportunity for me to be kind to people in their hour of need. What I did not count on was receiving encouragement from people who are grieving a loss.

Today, we had a new family come in to make final arrangements for their loved one. The deceased had been in the hospital for 79 days before she died, and she was only in her 50's. Part of her family had traveled all the way from Hawaii to be with her during her final days, and they were now charged with the responsibility of laying her to rest. As, I helped them to craft the obituary, one of the ladies looked at me and said, "You are so adorable! The way you dress and the way you present yourself is just so chipper. It is lovely that people can be greeted by you in their time of grief." She went on to say that I reminded her of her 21 year old daughter who was just now starting to blossom. She said that she could see that I was really blossoming!

Isn't it so ironic that I just posted on Friday about my resolve to bloom where I am planted, and Tuesday morning a stranger tells me that she can see that I am blossoming! Sometimes encouragement and confirmation really does come from the strangest places. I believe that God loves to surprise us with these little moments of "coincidence." I like to call them "God Encounters!" They prove to us that He really cares, and He really sees our efforts and is pleased with them. These "God Encounters" prove that we are hearing Him clearly! What a blessing!!

Here is a little look into the environment where I am currently planted and trying to learn to bloom:

My view all day.

Swivel around to answer the phone, and this is what I see.



I am planted in this chair. I don't like it, but I will bloom anyway.

 For you, today, I would like to send a little encouragement via an inspirational country song that offers a great message...Do it anyway! That's the message that I try to hold onto when times are tough and I feel stifled and stuck in the same old routine.