Encouragement.

Yesterday was a rough day for me. It feels like our house will never sell. I know, I know…everyone tells me that it’ll sell. But I guess I feel like it’ll be like the infertility thing. It happens to everyone else, but not us. It was hard to think about being in Altona for another year, not because I don’t love this place, but because now that we’ve announced that we’re leaving, it feels like we (and some around us) have done a lot of detaching. There are few commitments. Everything is geared toward leaving in 7 weeks, right down to our menu. And yet if the house doesn’t sell, it puts everything on hold. Nathan would have to find another job. We would feel like we’re “in-between” for another few months. These last 9 months have already felt a bit detached with everything that has been happening…I can’t imagine 6 or 12 months more.

I arrived at the post office this morning at the same time as a friend of ours. He’s the type of person who really wants to know how you’re doing when he asks. And if you lie and say good, I’m pretty sure he can tell. He has a way of getting right in there deep, even just in the span of time it takes for me to open my mail box. It was so nice this morning to be seen through. I wish more people could see through me, even without me having to take the first step (because I don't when I'm sad or discouraged). I think it must be a gift, to be able to see through people. Certainly not everyone has that gift. What would you call it? The gift of encouragement?

I left the post office feeling encouraged. What a good way to start my morning. Interesting how it affects others when you use your gifts…it has me thinking about my gifts and how I use them (or how I should use them more).