Saturday Thoughts

Logan and I attended a funeral out of town yesterday for an amazing man of God. The stories that were shared and the amount of lives he impacted while here on this Earth were simply incredible. I left feeling stirred, stirred to have an impact on a greater level. We arrived back in Omaha around dinnertime, and Logan gave Isla a bath while I picked up Chipotle. I was lost in thought during my drive there, wondering how God might use me through everyday interactions. I parked and headed into the restaurant and immediately noticed the long line. I was tempted to take advantage of my alone time (which is hard to come by these days!) and pull out my iPhone to scroll through Facebook or respond to text messages while I waited, but instead decided to keep my phone in my purse and just see what happened. “You’ve gotta start somewhere,” I thought. “Might as well be right now!” The guy in front of me was also technology-free and glanced back at me, looking like he might want to say something. “Has it been cold in Nebraska for awhile?” he asked. I responded and asked where he was from. He was a military guy from North Dakota, who had recently left the service and moved his family here. I wished him a happy Veteran’s Day and we talked about our families while waiting in line. It was a simple everyday kind of interaction, but one I would have missed out on had I decided to check-out from the world for a few minutes. We both got our food and he asked my name. He shook my hand and I was able to thank him for his service to our country.

Like I said, not some earth-shattering interaction probably worthy of sharing on the Internet, but I know I walked away encouraged. I think God was trying to tell me that if I just engage a little more with the people around me, you never know who you might meet or what could happen. I plan to put away my phone more often in those same kinds of moments, and I encourage everyone to do the same. There are enough terrible things happening in the world, that sometimes all someone may need is a little kindness or a genuine conversation with a stranger to remind them of the good.

Happy Veterans’ Day to all of our military friends and family! Your service is very much appreciated. I know we have a few readers who have served our country or have family members who have served, so please know that we honor you today and words can’t even express our appreciation for the sacrifice you’ve made for our freedom. I’ll end today’s post with a picture of my grandfather (holding a bomb), who served in WWII.

XOXO, Jenna