An Excerpt
The people we choose as friends say much about where we wish to go. Following is a ‘side road’ story, which does not directly regard Aspot’s life, but yet offers a well-grounded consideration, which Aspot uses, when needing a reminder about the much good, spread well, throughout this entire world. This story is shared because it is a ‘good example of Life’ within friends (family), who, being independently nurtured by Love, yet while also within our sphere of mutually shared influence, indirectly affect our lives in some mysterious and often beautiful manner. It is shared because his friend’s experience with God is a good example of how faithful and compassionate Love is often found to be. This story is another good example of true life, pertaining to another common person who is being transformed and certainly yet within the forge.
Furthermore, this story is a type of break, which is necessary to transition from the experiential portion (“just the facts”) of this book’s theme into ‘the stuff’ Aspot has been taught (“prepare and wait”). Besides, on a personal note, we are somewhat aware, that Aspot — becoming greatly riled and a ‘good friend’ — says he needs to step back and take a deep peace-filled breath before he rolls up his sleeves…to begin…to finish a task from an opportunity offered by Love.
Additionally, this side-story also begs being shared as a delightful reminder for the upcoming grandest ever wedding celebration to which all of mankind is invited and ‘the one,’ which although, we yet have no idea when or where it is being held, can be certain that it will be a celebration we just do not want to miss! So now, good friends, let us think ‘unity’ and “as one,” breathe in deeply…look up…smile…and breathe out…a holy spirited, delightful breeze outward across creation…to mix with the deepening mist of Heaven…wrapping tightly about us…
A young lady, an entrepreneur, life-motivated, careless, a mother by age seventeen, does her best to raise her boys well-founded despite the fact that their father is a nightclub band musician who often reserves an inordinate amount of selfish and unaccounted time. His haphazard lifestyle does eventually reveal itself in the disappointing fashion that can be expected from being a handsome musician singing to alcohol-influenced women in nightclubs. Perhaps it had been the long sleepless nights in a half-empty bed or maybe her own zest for life that prompts her to prepare being able to provide for her boys alone as she takes hold of a lovely conviction, contrary to her own marriage, and arranges a room in her home as an office for her budding career as a wedding planner.
This is a profession in which she finds she is gifted for doing well. In a short time, her business has become quite successful. She finds joy in the way her new source of provision allows her to personally interact closely with many excited young couples. For her, it was more than just a type of work. It was, rather, a service of care. Each wedding is special in some unique fashion, and because of her sincere commitment, every bride soon finds that they have a personal relationship with her. Likewise, she develops good working relationships with service providers based strongly upon shared trust.
Joy from the tasks involved with setting up for the ceremony and celebration of a man and a woman getting married are a big part of the woman’s life and motivation. Yet perhaps, there is another element of her spirit that helps spur and provide energy for her daily duties as a wife, mother and business woman. As a child, she had watched her father work in his flower shop and how he displayed appreciation and care for his customers. Even more she watched him read his Bible and how he offered help to family, friends and the church they attended.
Although she is, like most children who when, even at their best, only catch superficial observations, she has developed a deep level of understanding between the loving dad she knew at home and the same caring dad she had watched working carefully with the public. However, the craziness of being a teenager, and then, too soon, the arduous duties of a young mother along with the frustration of trying to maintain a lukewarm, if not emotionally abusive, marital relationship have tried hard to strip her of the influence her dad has deeply imprinted within her. Nonetheless, like he once told her, “Every good seed planted in good ground has much chance of producing life. All that is really needed is good soil, light and a little water from time to time.”
Late one spring, a wedding she has been planning is quickly approaching. It has been with care that she discovered and made arrangements for exactly what the bride desires everyone’s memories to take home with them from the wedding. The plans for this wedding are coming along well and all supporting artifices for the bride’s wish about this matrimonial experience are carefully prepared. Now with most invited guests having responded to the invitation and expected to attend, the Wedding Planner is confident every guest will be delighted by the wedding reception wishes of the bride and the careful detail of this important marital event.
The wedding theme chosen to highlight their marriage moment, desired by the bride, is a lively springtime expression based heavily upon many aromatic cherry blossoms. Therefore, long in advance, a large abundance of fresh aromatic cherry blossoms to brighten the wedding hall with a soft pink to reddish pastel glow are ordered from a trusted floral provider. It is going to be a lovely, cherry blossom flagrant and memorable gala affair for everyone present.
However, there is a nature of life that allows for the unexpected and this time it is nature itself which marks it’s triteness of the moment. An atypically late spring storm drops a hard freeze across the entire eastern half of the United States a few days before the wedding. Her floral provider immediately gives her a call with a heads-up concern about his obtaining the cherry blossoms from the usual orchards. Yet he assures her that he is going to make sure she has the many cherry blossoms promised.
It is now the day before the wedding and the florist calls her again to let her know that the cherry blossoms have not yet been found. For the Wedding Planner, the mild concern is immediately become an unexpected huge issue. Being greatly anxious, she begins to make many calls to every flower shop, but no cherry blossoms can be found. It seems nearly every cherry tree blossom has suffered from the freeze with the only ones surviving are being most certainly reserved for producing a fruit crop.
Far too late, the afternoon of the day before the wedding, she decides that she needs to consider finding an alternative flower presentation but few shops by this time remain open. The overall report from the shops that are found open can offer little more than meager quantities of anything and so even a reasonable substitution for the flower theme looks, at best, very bleak.
Early the following morning, onthe day of the wedding and without sleep, the planner finds herself thoroughly distressed. Elbows on the table, her kids arguing beside her, she nearly overcome with anxiety about the floral issue. She begins to cry. When the phone rings, she jumps up, hoping some flower shop has found what she most wanted or an alternative which would work. But it is only an old acquaintance that she has not seen or even talked to in years. Although happy to hear a friendly voice that offers a moment of distraction from the approaching disaster, the weight of the flower situation is overwhelming and so her stomach lurches from excitement to strong disappointment when realizing the call is not a good report from a flower shop.
Yet she shows only lightness of heart and chats with her acquaintance for a few minutes. But the need to get off the phone soon and seek a floral miracle is pressing heavily upon the forefront of her thoughts, so the wedding planner mentions that she has an emergency to care for as a means to put a kind form of early end to this phone call. The woman is quick to surrender the call and says, “Oh, of course, sorry, I must have called at a bad time.”
However, there is a short indecisive pause as the caller renders enough courage to continue, “Yet, real quick, even thought you might think this weird, the real reason I called is because yesterday while doing yard work I thought of you every time I pondered how beautiful my cherry tree is this year. I just felt like I should call and see if you might have any use for my lovely cherry tree blossoms?”
ISBN-13: 979-8893912845
Paperback $11.99
196 Pages
5.5 (w) x 8.5 (h) x .45 (d)
eBook $9.99 (Available in Amazon Kindle)
RELIGION / Christian Living / Spiritual Growth / Self-Discovery
“There are so many parallels to life! Everybody goes through life’s challenges. That is a given. It is knowing God is there with us every step of the way that can make the difference. This book offers hope in a sometimes dark world. I highly recommend it. ” -Resa V