I had the great fortune to speak with a wonderful group of women on Saturday, at their women’s retreat. The talk I have been giving is entitled “And Then God Gave Me A Time Out”. I have actually had quite a few time-outs, a shattered leg and cancer to name a few. The talk is about what happens when we learn to sit, quietly, with God.
Backing up a bit, after I finished the cancer treatments, I embarked on writing the book Living Like A Lady When You Have Cancer. I signed the first book to myself and wrote in part “Always remember – you did this to make a difference, to “touch” people, to help…” A few years later, here we are with the book continuing to sell and make a difference, and me now speaking about taking time-outs, with God.
What is the point, Donna, you may ask? The point is, all I heard about on Saturday was how I had “touched” people. This wasn’t a large, vocal crowd. This was a quiet, reflective crowd. One after another, they quietly came up and grabbed my hand sharing their time-outs, what had happened in their families, how they had found God by being quiet. Without fail, those coming up to me said that my words had “touched” them. I was honored and yet humbled; I have no idea what I said that touched them that way.
When I spoke on Saturday, both my mother and sister were able to attend the retreat. People who did not come up to me, came up to them. Later both my mom and sister shared that everyone seemed to be using the same word, that they were “touched”. That one word meant so much – that there was a connection, a meaningfulness, a reflection, a deepening of the heart, all in that “touch”.
Coming from a corporate world, the only thing that mattered was the money we made. Now, it is not about the money, it is about touching the hearts of others. It is about the quiet hugs, the holding of hands, the sometimes knowing and always hoping, that in sharing my time-outs, others will take their time-outs with God.
