I have a friend who has been encouraging me for years to share what I write. With her encouragement and the support of friends and family I finally submitted several devotions the The Upper Room. When I received notice that a few had been accepted, it was such a blessing and I immediately called her and thanked her for being such an encourager. I don't think it is an accident that the first one to be published is one that I wrote about us sitting on her porch. How God works just amazes me! Besides that, when the preview copies arrived in the mail, my friend just "happened" to be here on vacation, and I was able to personally give her a copy along with a note of gratitude for her faithfulness in urging me to use the gift of writing that God has given me. Life with the Lord is so full of surprising blessings!