T.O.P.'s Tuesday: When the Heart is Open to Receive...Part I

An aspect of being an author and speaker I never thought of, and sometimes am so humbled and encouraged by are the notes, comments, and messages I receive from readers and listeners like yourselves. This weekend was no different. I would like to share a couple with you and I pray they encourage you like they have me.

After one of my speaking engagements this past weekend a woman came up after to share with me. She started with, "I live in Boston but when I heard you would be here, I had to come and meet you in person. Your book..." and her voice trembled a little. Her words on how Where's Heidi? One Sister's Journey touched her heart and encouraged her, was a huge encouragement to me.

BUT, this was only the beginning. With her daughter standing behind her, this woman shared how she watched her an abductor attempt to kidnap her friend before he proceeded to do the same to her. How did she respond? She kicked, bit, screamed, and ran. She ran and beat on ever neighbor's door until one woman scooped her inside and held her while calling the police. This grown woman, with her teen daughter listening in awe, shared some of her fears and the feelings experienced. One of which was the anger she heard in her father's voice, but after reading Where's Heidi? One Sister's Journey, realized it wasn't anger, it was fear that he almost lost his little girl.

She ended our conversation with "With the exception of my husband, I've never told anyone this, but after listening to you speak and reading your book -- I wanted you to know your book is making in impact in ways you probably don't even know." My response...I hugged her, shared some tears, and said, "Thank you for trusting me. May you take this knowledge and help others because you've done the hardest part, shared it."

Isn't this cool? I prayed to touch the heart and life of at least one person, God continues to overwhelm, humble, encourage, inspire, and motivate me through your words. Tomorrow I will share a private message I received from a reader, with her permission, as one more way to model how we encourage each other.

How has someone encouraged you? Did you pass it on?