Yesterday, my husband, two of my sons and I traveled the short trip to Lake Tahoe for a day at the beach. We had it planned a week or so in advance with imaginations of warm sunshine and water play – an ordinary day at the beach. Ours was anything but an ordinary day at the beach!
The temperature felt more like October than July. Within a couple of hours there was thunder, lightning and rain. The raindrops were so significant each individual one could be seen making its splash into the vastness that is Lake Tahoe. The sky became dark and the day felt much later. Some might consider that the worst day to go to the beach, but blessings awaited.
As the weather grew cooler I sat in my chair to continue reading a book on how to get published.
Let me interject a moderately-sized side-note here:
I self-published my first book on Amazon in February, 2023. It was an enormous project and a dream come true. Since that experience, I’ve wondered if I should try to get published the traditional way for my second novel and for a children’s book series I have in mind to write. I haven’t decided which way to go, but that’s why the topic of the book I held.
Back to my story! A young woman next to us noticed the book in my hands. She approached me to ask if I was a writer! I was so unprepared for this question, and also unprepared to affirm that I am indeed a writer. The sound of it is unfamiliar to me still. I told her I was, and she asked me what I write about. She asked all the leading questions and looked up my book right then and there. I was thrilled and encouraged to have such an organic opportunity to share about my book.
In our conversation another young man, who was in the same group as this young woman, asked me what it was like to be a writer. My heart pounded in my chest. My response was lame, at best. I was so unprepared to be asked such a question, but I answered him and told him it wasn’t my day job and that it has made me very little money. Seriously, it wasn’t meant to sound negative, I just didn’t want to present it as glamorous; I have yet to experience a second of anything close to that. My son said I should have answered that it isn’t easy, but it is worth it. I have to remember that response the next time I’m asked!
I told the young people about my blog and also that I work part time at a Christian school. The young woman asked if I was a Christian and I said yes. She was so excited because she was there with her Christian Bible study group. Within a minute’s time she had introduced one of the group’s ministry leaders to me and left us to talk.
This woman, warm and kind, shared that she and her husband spent years as missionaries in Indonesia! We talked for 10 or 15 minutes telling of God’s work, and both of us felt encouraged to meet a fellow sister-in-Christ in such a random way.
Only, I know it wasn’t random. A hug was exchanged when she left the chair next to mine to head back to her group. We agreed that if we don’t see each other again in this life, we will meet again in Eternity.
I had prayed yesterday morning as we left for the lake that God would bless our time together with special things.
The excitement of the weather lifted our family’s spirits as we marveled together.
The encounter with a stranger, who serves the same God, was His encouragement to me.
Sometimes God just sends us special little moments and grand weather events like these to let us know He sees us and that we are a part of His family. I am grateful He answered my prayer – stormy beach weather and all.
I would love to hear from you.