A Saint in New Orleans.

I was excited about my first trip to the “Big Easy”. The city of New Orleans has a reputation for serving up the best food, jazz, and hospitality of any place in our country plus I am a devoted fan of Drew Brees and the Saints. My hubby and I flew out of LA the weekend before Thanksgiving and arrived at our destination by early evening. After grabbing our luggage, Derrick approached a gentleman standing in that area to inquire about a shuttle service. He informed us that his client had not shown up and he was available to drive us to our hotel. During our conversation, Jerry revealed that he is the pastor of a church and opened up about his personal life, including that his wife, Norma was in the hospital recovering from heart surgery. We connected with him as if he was part of our family. I told him that we would pray for his wife and assured him that she would heal quickly. Before Jerry drove off, we asked if he was available to drive us back to the airport on the following Tuesday. Not only did we want to support his local business, but we preferred his company as well.  

We covered a lot of territory during our short stay in New Orleans and agreed that a bus tour would familiarize us with the surrounding areas. Our guide was very informative as we drove by historic parks, cemetaries, and passed through the neighborhoods ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. We ventured out each morning into the drizzling rain to hop onto a trolley and discover more incredible restaurants and live jazz venues. I savored the buttery pecan waffles dripping in syrup or the sweet beignets coated in powdered sugar for breakfast. It was a neverending feast of gumbo, jambalaya, pecan-crusted catfish, and icebox key lime pie.

Tuesday morning came around quickly and we were met in the hotel lobby by our new friend, Jerry. We inquired about his wife’s health and he reassured us that she would be coming home for Thanksgiving. It was truly divine timing and such a blessing to connect with such an incredible person while on vacation. I am so thankful for my life and our extended family and friends!

A Radio Interview.

It was a glorious summer afternoon so I drove to my favorite park in Sherman Oaks to get some exercise. I enjoy walking around the entire perimeter of the park a couple times a week, and typically a friend or two will join me. On this particular day, my intention was to check out the new workout equipment that had been installed near the jogging path. As I approached this area, I recognized the face of a young father whom I see regularly on our school campus. He was hanging upside down with gravity boots from a steel bar.

We chatted for a few minutes before I ventured out to test the new machines. As I sat down at the leg press machine, I heard this dad yell out to a soccer coach who was adjacent to us on the playing field. It was quite an amazing reunion between the two of them. Amazingly, this man had been his soccer coach over 25 years ago! He had recognized him by the distinct tone of his voice! It turns out that Teddy is the producer of a radio show on KPFK 90.7 FM called “Stairway to Heaven”. He has graciously invited me to be a guest on his show to discuss my current book, “All In Perfect Time” in early November. I have no doubt that God planned for us to meet at this specific time.

I will post the air date and podcast information soon.

To Russia With Love.

It was on the eve of my 7th wedding anniversary that I met a very special friend. My husband and I made reservations earlier in the week to celebrate this special occasion at a nearby Brazilian restaurant. When we arrived, the gracious hostess met us at the door and ushered us to our table. She congratulated us on our anniversary and was so sincere and sweet. While waiting for our meal, I walked over to her and asked if she wouldn’t mind taking several photos of us to commemorate our special  evening. I felt so comfortable around her that I invited her to join us in a couple of the shots. During our introductions, I was intrigued to hear that this lovely woman named Ksenia was a dancer from Russia. She’d been living in Los Angeles for a couple months and was enjoying her stay. We chatted for a few more minutes and we exchanged our contact information. I texted her the photos before leaving the restaurant and we promised to stay in touch.

We connected on FaceBook and communicated a few times through text messages. The first time I spoke with her on the phone, she revealed that she was pregnant. I made arrangements to visit her that week at her home and brought one of my closest friends with me. We all prayed and stood in agreement that God had created this baby and He would provide for them. The father of her baby did not want the responsibility of a child, and she’d agreed to raise the baby on her own.

My beautiful friend prayed and asked God if she should stay here in the States or return to Russia. She received her answer, and made plans to fly home to be with family. We spent some incredible time together before she left. We talked about the divine timing of our meeting each other; at a time when she needed a loving friend to lift her spirits and pray for her. She was so touched when I presented her with the greatest gifts I could offer her – the two books I’d written. She packed them carefully in a silk bag to protect them on her lengthy flight. I saw her on the morning before she left for the airport and my heart was saddened to say goodbye to my angelic friend. I wish that we could have spent more time together and pray that I will see her and that precious baby in the near future. 

My youngest and dearest sister, Lyn still lives in our hometown of Chicago. Her devoted companion of fifteen years, was a beautiful Siamese cat named Chuck. He was actually  named by her daughter, Olivia as they were driving the kitten to its new home. My niece  was pointing out the car window and naming the objects that passed by. She could not pronounce the “t” in the word “truck” and it sounded like “Chuck”. That was the funny story behind their family pet’s name.

Before Lyn and her family left on a summer trip to Virginia, Chuck had lost much of his appetite. She told her two young sons to be prepared for him to pass away before they returned home.  However, her loving companion waited until she came home to take his last breath. That same morning, her handyman arrived (a day later than scheduled) and offered to bury Chuck in the backyard. Lyn gave him a special shawl to wrap his body in. This was truly a blessing from God because I don’t think she would have had the strength to perform this task on her own. No matter what the circumstance, we need to trust in Him because He will provide all that we need.

It was another beautiful and breezy California day. I am thoroughly enjoying the second week of summer vacation. In the early evening, I picked up one of my former students, Hannah who is about to celebrate her thirteenth birthday. We planned to pick up sushi from our favorite market and have a picnic at the local park. After eating dinner, we headed over to the new workout machines located on the opposite side of the park. Hannah pointed out a lovely young woman in a black dress who was twisting on an upright machine that could accommodate three people. We walked over and stepped onto the machine. I struck up a conversation with her and commented that she looked as if she was dancing.

The young lady introduced herself as Shoko and told us that she is a translator. Now Hannah has been fascinated with the Japanese language for three years now. She’s learned many Japanese words from studying her Japanese For Busy People books. Shoko and I exchanged our contact information and I will share it with Hannah’s parents. I do not believe our meeting was a mere coincidence. I think Shoko will become Hannah’s tutor and a family friend. Hannah’s expressed her desire to travel to Japan one day. One of her closest friends is traveling there this summer. Shoko could be instrumental in bringing Hannah to visit her home town in the near future.