Gratitude Focus: Today, I am Grateful For “Random Readers.”

Reflection/Why I’m Grateful:

 I was sitting in a hotel lobby (Biltmore) when a familiar face approached me and shared that she had been speaking with another person at the conference. That person, as it turned out, had been searching online for books before the conference and happened to pick up Twice Over a Man as her in-flight reading.

This morning, when I walked into a session, she saw me, connected the dots, and realized I was the author of the book she had been reading. Later that evening, after dinner, she approached me with a big hug. I asked her what led her to purchase my book. She said she is newer to reading and was drawn to stories of resilience—how someone could go from foster care to leading a bank. She shared that she appreciated my perspective, especially because I didn’t take a victim mentality. In that private moment, she confided that she is trying to encourage those around her.

I couldn’t help but thank her. She is the first “random reader” I’ve met. I believe God knows exactly what we need and places people in our lives at just the right time. She needed to see that I was real, and I needed to see that real people—ones I might have assumed I had little in common with—are actually deeply connected to my story.