Are there people you now realize you should have thanked more?

While attending college, I worked in the student union candy shop on Sunday afternoons. With few people around, I stocked candy jars and engaged with passing students.

A senior student bought some candy and enthusiastically launched into stories from her semester abroad in France. The next day, I visited the Study Abroad office for the following semesterā€™s options. As I was putting myself through school, I was concerned I couldnā€™t afford it. I was relieved that it was nominally more expensive than my current tuition and board. Remember, this was many years ago. I just needed money for the airfare. With a summer waitress job in a diner, I was all set and went to the Netherlands for the semester.

I can’t recall her appearance or exact words, but this young woman affected my life with inspiration to travel abroad. Has an encounter with a stranger sparked your curiosity to explore something new? Perhaps someone you met on a bus, train, or plane. It’s remarkable how we disclose personal details to people we’ll likely never see again. Some conversations are meant to pass the time; others initiate an idea or compel us to a new road.

I wish I could tell herā€¦but what I can do is to be that for someone else.

May the LORD reward you for what you have done! Ruth 2:12.

My husband, Roger, and I just returned from a trip to the Netherlands that included a visit with Tom, a fellow Dutch student, (sitting opposite of me) and his lovely wife, Agnes, (who is sitting next to me). It had been over 40 years since I saw Tom. We once thought marriage was our future, but that wasn’t meant to be. A lifetime ago. Despite all the trials of family, friends, and jobs, we shared how happy and grateful we are! What was especially ā€œleukā€(the Dutch word for nice but exceptionally pleasant) is what Agnes said, ā€œYou could be my sister.ā€ I so agree! We left feeling we would be dear friends if we lived next door.

Iā€™d like to thank Ms. Study Abroad senior for that, too!

It is never to late to connect. Can we pick up a phone, write a letter, visit with someone from our past that may or mayn’t have ended peacefully? We can still let them know the good coming from the relationship.

Another follow-up thank you would be to a former minister, Doug, who passed away several years ago. I was going to leave my corporate job and go into the ministry. I invited him and his wife for dinner to discuss the recommendation he wanted to write for my masterā€™s application. I was promoted to Vice President at Marriott food division the same day. The executive board consisted of eleven men and two women. I would be the third.

When I told Doug, he immediately replied, ā€œYou have to pursue that then!ā€ Iā€™ve always wondered, did he say that to ā€œallowā€ me to go without guilt? Was it to help me defend a decision? I donā€™t know. But it has made a terrific difference in what Iā€™m doing now. I learned valuable lessons in organizational/leadership/computer/writing skills, etc. I am thankful for the Lordā€™s detour and am now better prepared to answer my original calling by starting Seeds of Faith.

Has a mentor, friend, or family member help you with making a fork-in-the-road decision? And have we positively encouraged someone? We might never know how a conversation can take root, grow, and blossom in another.

As we prepare for Thanksgiving and the start of Advent, let’s remember those who’ve made a difference in our lives. If we still can, tell them how much they affected us. If not, let us pray for them and know they are in Godā€™s Hands. If they have passed, we can thank God for their influence and honor the seed they planted.

I am thankful to you, my dear readers, for staying with me on this journey. I appreciate your thoughts and encouragement. I look forward to hearing your stories of fork-in-the-road decisions and how you came to a resolution or how a stranger affected your life. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

    The Conversation

  1. Nancy says:

    I love your life stories, Lisa! Keep them coming!

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