Lost For Words

This summer, Tim and I moved into a small apartment. We were planning to stay there for a year or more. In order to move in late in the Spring we took over someone's lease and had to go without professional cleaning during the changeover. We did manage to score some of the previous tenant's furniture though! It was a little weird sleeping on someone else's old mattress but we didn't have the money to buy a new one at the time. She also left us a futon, a super cute dining table and chairs, a microwave, a mirror, and a tv stand! It was perfect for setting up our first apartment especially since we did not have extra money to furnish our new home. Since we took over the lease but wanted professional cleaning to be done at some point, we would have been required to move out for three weeks in August and move in to a different apartment in the same complex at the end of the month. So we made plans to visit family and friends and to move our belongings into a storage

One day I was walking down State Street in Chicago heading home from lunch with a friend. I happened upon a little old lady who was sitting on a planter and asking for money. I stopped to chat with her and learned that she didn't speak much English. Thankfully, we understood each other better in Spanish and were able to have a nice conversation. She was from Spain. She was wearing a black head scarf and a long, flowing, tan dress. She wore sandals that looked like they were tired of walking. No jewelry. She told me her name was Zoila. She was hoping to meet people on the street who could help meet her needs. She lived with her two daughters in a tiny apartment in the city. They didn't have enough money for both shelter and food so they decided to keep the apartment and eat when there was extra money. I said "I'm sorry I don't have any cash with me to give you. Is there anything I can buy or something I can do for you while I'm here?" She smiled s

Dear God, You've given me stories. Thanks! Help me to share them with others that they might be encouraged, inspired, and pointed to you. Give me words to express your beauty to the masses. Be glorified.