You Never Know...

I would say that my kiddos and I are pretty active each week!! We attend MOPs, we have play dates and we eat lunch with my mom every single Tuesday!! (It is a blessing for both her and us!:)) We love being out and about, learning about new things, experiencing life together and meeting new people! All of these new adventures are fun!!! However, the meeting new people has really affected my life in the past year!!! You never know what people's stories are...us humans can be SO interesting!! I never let my kiddos talk to strangers, I am huge on stranger danger, but there are a few restaurants that we frequent quite a bit, so we have gotten to know workers at each place!! There a two people that have especially made an impact on my life and I wanted to share about them!!!

Our favorite restaurant here in Nixa is called Luigi's!! It is a local pizza joint and it is delicious!! :) But even better than the pizza, is our favorite waitress there named Kristie!!! My friend Kristie is a very lonely lady who loves to be loved on!! So each week when we go in there ( I know right, each WEEK!! :) We L-O-V-E pizza!!:)) she knows we are coming so she has crackers for the kiddos, high chairs and crayons ready for us!!! We started going to Luigi's several years ago, but it was just last year I felt a connection with Kristie!! She was so sad one day that we came in, I simply asked her if she was ok! She broke down...I was stunned!! I didn't know what to do!! She always has a bright smile on her face, but I could always tell there was something just not right!! So over the year she has poured out her life story to me, over the course of each week she tells me something new!!! It isn't always good, sometimes it is really hard to hear, but I love it that she feels so comfortable with us!! The last time I saw her (we haven't seen her in several weeks, she is quite ill) she said, "You know, I have never had a friend like you!" Oh my heart!!!! You never know who's life you are going to touch...just being loving and kind to people, taking an extra minute to really care about them and in turn THEY have a lasting affect on YOU!! I was getting so complacent in life, having two pretty awesome kids, a husband who works SO hard and a beautiful house to go home to, I think God knew I needed a wake up call, so He sent me Kristie!

Our other favorite place is in Springfield and of course it is another pizza place!! (Have I mentioned we LOVE pizza???) There is a guy there who has been waiting on us for just about a year!! He too is very lonely! He has had a rough life and is still trying to recover from some of the mistakes he made as a young man!!! He smiles so big at us when we come through the door!!! We know we are going to have to make some time to talk to Gary!! Much like Kristie, he has shared a lot with us over the year about his life!! It is hard to hear, but I know God is working on him slowly through us!! (Wyatt often meets us for lunch, it is halfway between our house and his work, so he gets to talk with him too!:)) This guy has made an impact on me because he has been through A LOT in life, yet he is still just trying to get through life! Gosh, I NEVER want to "just get through life," I want to LOVE life and ENJOY it to it's fullest!!! Unbeknownest to him, he has really challenged me to live every day for God, to find JOY in the little things and to trust that God's plan is always best for us, even when I am unsure!!

If you have a minute will you pray for the two people?? They have become dear to me, I pray for them every day!! They both need Jesus very much, we all do!!!

God is constantly reminding me of how BIG HE is!!!! He is everywhere, and in everything!! He uses us to touch each others lives, sometimes in ways we never imagined!!!