Reminders

Just came back from Ancaster. My first tradeshow at the Christian Booksellers Association. My sister and I have been working hard on the Verseries product line (http://www.verseries.com/) the past year, and we were finally able to see its fruits. Many people who walked by our booth were impressed by the art. Five small Christian bookstores have picked up the product to see if it sells. Bigger ones showed interest. All glory goes to God.

Will be in Edmonton this week to do the second tradeshow (already dreading the exhaustion of flying, packing, standing all day, and then unpacking!). This time, however, my dad is not going to be present. As a kid, I watched my dad, the eternal salesman, continually work his magic with clients; it was something I took for granted. Educated as a computer programmer, he’s a salesman at heart.

I was reminded of this again at the Ancaster tradeshow. The way he could stop everyone who walked by and make a conversation that went on for twenty minutes; the way, by the end of the show, everyone seemed to know his name.

When I graduated years ago, my dad had asked me to work for his company. Wanting to prove to myself and others that I could get a job without familial networking, I applied for jobs on my own. Wound up working as a Technical Writer for another company for four years. I realized this year, however, that having been “away” from the family business for so long, I had forgotten what it was like to be “around them.”

But no matter how talented my dad is, or how successful he has been, I was reminded of one thing this weekend, and it took place one hour before the tradeshow began. He had parked the car in the lot, turned to me, and said to me, “Priscilla, let’s pray.” And in his prayer he offered the whole tradeshow to the Lord.

The CBA tradeshow was not just about standing at the booths and showcasing products. There was a devotional breakfast. There was worship. There were music performances. There were Christian authors who shared about their callings. And in witnessing all this— especially Tara (http://www.taradettman.com/) who sang on stage with that angelic voice, her eyes closed while her fingers danced on the keyboard—I felt empowered. It never fails when you are surrounded by others who love and adore God: the energy is contagious.

“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them…” Matthew 18:19

Maybe the theme for the coming months is “newness.” I don’t know what surprises are in store in Edmonton. Two weeks after that, I’ll be at a retreat with the students and faculty at TBS, encountering new faces, and hearing other people’s stories. To be honest, in the state I am in right now, when I think about all of it, I feel tired; at the same time, however, I’m eager. God is already revealing his plan, and I don’t know what is at the end of it, but I’m excited.

The thing is, Lee is usually the one who’s “off” to places. With his job, he goes off on training regularly, several times overseas. I’m usually the one who is at home going about my things. It’s odd this month to be the one who’s going off and he’s the one waiting for me to come home. It’s good, of course—nothing like the reversal of roles to develop empathy between husband and wife. And it’s true, absence does make the heart grow fonder. I missed him when he had gone off, and when I’m somewhere else, a lot of times, I’m thinking about how much I’m looking forward to sharing with him all my stories. Look what God is doing in our lives, hon. Isn’t he amazing? Aren’t we so blessed?

Well, I woke up early this Sunday to do some writing, so I better get to it.