God Moments.

This is a topic that I've touched on many, many times in this blog and will probably continue to discuss until the day I hit that "delete account" button. Which isn't happening anytime soon, might I add.

My repetitive point? God knows what you need, when you need it.

I firmly believe that and I always will.

Let's take last week, for example. I had a really, really rough week. My anxiety peaked, I barely slept, and my debit card number was stolen on Friday. I just didn't feel in the best of moods.

On my drive from the gym on Sunday morning back to my house, a million things were going through my mind. I wondered if I'd be able to pay for my groceries, if a close friend was angry with me, I worried about another friend going through a hard time. I was energized from working out but also deeply confused and emotional.

That was when U2's "Beautiful Day" started playing on the radio. I smiled, listened, and changed the station. "One" by U2 was playing on another station. And finally, as I pulled into the grocery store, I switched to yet another station to find "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" by U2. Weird, right? Not really.

Laurence, my amazing, sweet cousin who passed away at age 16 from a brain cancer, was the biggest U2 fan I ever met. I knew, in that moment, that he was trying to tell me something. I mean three U2 songs don't just play on three different radio stations all the time. It was my message from Laurence that everything is going to be okay, and that he continues to watch over me.

EDIT: Since writing this blog, I found out exactly what Laurence was trying to tell me. When I left the gym tonight, I once again heard a U2 song, "Mysterious Ways". Moments later, I was on the phone with my parents, who informed me that Patrick, Laurence's dad, is in the ICU because as he was mixing pool chemicals, they exploded. He is going to be okay, but it will be a long road. His lungs were injured and he has burn marks on his face. Please keep him in your prayers as he recovers.

Things like that are "God moments" for me.

Other moments are conversations with complete strangers that make me walk away feeling fulfilled. Like the other night when I was at Gilda's Club. I was doing my usual front desk duty when a cheerful older woman walked in. She started chatting away as I took her to get a cup of tea and walk her to her meeting. She asked my name, and when I told her she said "OH! God's pearl!". Then she asked for my middle name, and her response to that was "Oh! God's promise!". I smiled and told her she was good and that she sure knew her names. She laughed and said "well you'll get me if your last name could also be a first name.". Well, it can. So I told her my last name and she clapped and gasped and said "STRONG WOMAN! and joy! your name means joy!" She was so happy to share this information with me, and I was happy to see how excited she was. I smiled the rest of the night.

The last moment, or example, is when special people being brought into your life. My roomies and I were having a late night wine induced convo about this stuff the other day, about knowing that certain people are brought into your life for a reason. I brought up my coworkers. That even though not every day at my job is paradise, I wouldn't swap my coworkers for anything, and I know that they were supposed to be in my life. I have learned so much from them. I've celebrated three birthday's with them and I really, truly feel like I have grown up at this job. Since I've specifically mentioned other coworkers before in this blog, for this example I'll use Peggy, our clinical supervisor. She didn't always hold that role. Up until a year ago she was out in the field as a nurse case manager. I barely even saw her, only every other Wednesday for our team meeting. But even back when she was in the field, I felt a special connection to her. I never really knew why. But now that she's in the office every day with me, I know why. I know she and I have a special relationship that I can't quite explain. She is tough on me when she needs to be but I also know we care about each other. It's sorta mother/daughterish. There have been days when I've come into work really not sure if I could make it, either due to a rough night or just too much going on. She notices. She'll call me into her office or come into mine and close the door and ask me what's wrong. Once she said "I can see it in your eyes". She asks about my weight loss progress and supports me in that (except she did force me to eat banana pie today).

Another person would be my mom's friend Paula. She's the one who really kickstarted this whole weight loss journey thing and honestly she was the kind of person I needed to do so. She's a doctor herself so she helped me figure out all of the blood work stuff, set me up an appointment with the gym, etc. She was gentle but honest in her approach of what I needed to do to get healthy. I am extremely grateful she was brought into my life so that I could get going on this.

So yeah, I know this post may be a little boring or repetitive, but I just had to share some more reminders of God's role in my life and the music and people He brings into it every day.

Tell me some of your "God moments", or " A ha moments".

beautiful spirit.

I'm gearing up for the A-Z Blog Challenge and preparing to write a whole lot of blogs. I also have a ton of letters to write still for my Lent project. But today I can't concentrate on those things. I want to write about something else. I had the hardest time figuring it out, but I just knew something was inside me that had to come out on this blog. So I did what I usually do when I get stuck: When to twitter. And my sweet friend Ashley is responsible for sparking inspiration in me, because she answered my plea with this "Share insight: what makes someone have a beautiful spirit, in your opinion?"

Whoop, there it is.

The past week has taught me that people can surprise you and do things that hurt you, even when they were the last person in the world you ever thought would hurt you. But it's also taught me that even more intriguing than people's hidden negative qualities are the beautiful qualities in people that are hidden.

Someone with a beautiful spirit is someone who cares, and I mean cares, for other people. You have such a genuine concern for their feelings that you think before you speak because you don't want to hurt them. You are positive, and let that positive energy reach others around you. You are loyal, you don't judge others. You don't need attention or praise. You do good because it's the right thing to do. You give all that you have into everything you do. You see the sadness in others and do whatever you can to eliminate that sadness.

Be beautiful by being the most positive you that you can be. Turn your anger and frustrations into blessings and gratitude. Tell people what they mean to you. Be beautiful by doing beautiful things for others.

You

Ten People.

1. You are going to be okay. May you experience hope, strength, love, and emotional healing. Life is too great. You do have a future, and a great one at that, with your "go getter" attitude, maturity, and respect for others. You can talk to anyone, easily. You just need to believe in yourself, have a little faith, and hold onto hope. You're going to be okay.

2. You have helped me tremendously these past few weeks. You're passion, loyalty, and kindness truly shine. You are honest, encouraging, and genuine. You are respected by everyone and an extremely hard working individual. It has been a true honor to get to know you.

3. You've had your share of let downs, but you remain one of the sweetest and most positive people in my life. Something is going to happen for you. You are too talented, too genuine, too good for it not to happen. You are probably frustrated, but you don't let it show. Keep at it. You are an incredible person and friend. Stay positive.

4. Like the last person, you certainly have had quite a roller coaster of a year. It's not fair that you are going through a rough time, especially because you are so gifted, giving, and loving. You are in my prayers as you continue to fight and carry on. Thank you for everything you have taught me. You will get through this mess. We are all on your side.

5. You are one of my favorite people in the entire world. Having you back in my life is so wonderful. You are extremely friendly, sweet, and understanding. You are admirable in many ways. You have a special place in my heart. Thank you.

6. You are so creative, patient, compassionate, funny...the list of admirable qualities goes on and on. You are one of my best friends. You are just a joy to be around. You need to come visit :-)

7. You make me so proud! You do all these wonderful things for the school, the city, your friends and family. You truly make a difference in people's lives, easily. You are one of those unforgettable people. Your words and actions are so careful, so genuine. You have a passion for life and it shows. You are another one of my best friends, and heroes.

8. You are such an amazing young lady. You are confident, mature, honest, and understanding. You handle things with such strength. You are going to continue to do well and make an impact on this world with your intelligence, sense of humor, and kindness. You are like a little sister to me.

9. You pretty much always know the right thing to say- whether it is words of comfort, advice, or just making someone laugh, you always have it spot on. You are patient and gentle, kind and understanding. You aren't afraid to stand up for what you believe in. You have taught me so much about life. Opposite of the person above, You are like a big sister to me :)

10. Your phone call the other day, although bearing sad news, made me realize how much you mean to me. You are not only hilarious, but incredibly caring. You put so much love into your relationships with others, always putting other people first. Your enthusiasm and passion are contagious.