Words

 For anyone who doubts that the right words at the right time mean anything.... 

let me share a recent day with you.

That morning, after sharing my heart and speaking up about something in a private group 

and taking somewhat of a beating for the way I expressed it, 

I was really seriously thinking about just shutting down my blog completely. 

I was thinking, why am I doing this, what good does it do, why bother, 

I'm sick of the games that people play out there, sick of the sellouts and hypocrisy, blah blah blah.

That afternoon, I took a load of old magazines over to my storage unit, 

and went into the office to pay my fees for next month. 

As I walked in the door, the gal handed me her phone and said 

"It's my daughter. We were just talking about you! She has something to tell you....". 

So I held the phone up to my ear and said "Hello?" with, I am sure, a confused look on my face - 

and her daughter THANKED ME for my HOMEWARDfound blog. 

For the ideas I share that help her decorate on a budget. 
For giving her crafty projects to do with her kids.
For ideas that inspire her to make her home special, even though she can't spend much. 

She said that getting an email from me about a new blog post puts a smile on her face 
and lets her know she's gonna' get some fun ideas.

I cried. On the phone, with a woman I've never met. I actually cried about my blog. 

Her words could not have come at a more perfect time....

She reminded me WHY I do this blogging thing. 

WHY I share the ideas and tips and tricks that I've discovered 

over years of living on an EXTREMELY low income, and by working as a retail visual stylist. 

Because home has always been important to me - 

important to create a place where my family felt loved and welcome and warm and comfortable. 

Where they were never ashamed to bring friends. 

Where even though were were often really broke, we didn't look like we were destitute. 

I want to share that love of 'home' with my readers. 

I want to inspire them to do what they can where they are with what they have - and be proud of it. 

I want women who say 'I'm not creative' to FEEL creative, to be brave enough to try a simple thing - 

and then find out that they ARE creative after all!

And I told her that. I told her how MUCH her words healed my hurting heart, 

how MUCH her gratitude and her enthusiasm meant to me. 

I even told her about the crummy morning I had, 
and my questioning if I should even continue with writing the blog anymore.  

And do you know what she said?

"God put you right where you are, Deb, and you are giving it all you have. 

And it's making a difference for people. Don't ever forget that."

O_O

WOW. I couldn't even talk at that point. 

I just whispered "Thank you" and handed the phone back to her mom. 

She hung up, and looked at me with a smile a mile wide. 

"Talk about PERFECT timing! God is so cool!" she said.

Yeah. Yeah, He is...

oh, and by the way, I'm going to keep the blog going. My way.
Focused on my readers and what they want, need, and expect from me.

I resolved my angst by leaving that group of bloggers. 

I'm not in this for the same commercialized reasons they are, and I don't belong in their club.