Yesterday I spent the noon time hours and bulk of the afternoon with my dear friend, Gregg. We've known each other since we were in our early teens and he moved back here from the New Jersey/New York area after 25 years spent in Manhattan working on his career.
On occasion, after reconnecting with each other, Gregg and I would have dinners together while I was in New York on business. In the beginning of our relationship it was wonderful but a little tentative I think. He was clearly going through a rough time with Lehman Brothers almost filing for bankruptcy every five minutes leaving Gregg never knowing the exact status of his job. His career was spent doing all of the high tech IT for the entire floor of the NY Stock Exchange. No easy position and it was all consuming, but he did a marvelous job and I think just by speaking with him, that he never really stopped to notice how exceptional his work was and how professional and creative he is. Anyway, Lehman Bros was eventually bought out or filed for bankruptcy or something like that (I don't follow these types of things, sorry) leaving Gregg without a career.
His heart (intuition if you'd prefer that word choice) had been telling him for some time to come home to Minnesota and live with his father in his childhood home. In honoring his intuition his house in New Jersey sold in minutes (well, not literally, but it sold really fast) and he was home by Christmas of last year. Personally, I love having him back, we're now developing such a lovely friendship. But I digress....
Anyway, we now strive to have lunch together at least once a month and connect via email and FB weekly if not daily. I have found this positive, forward looking friend just at a time when I so desperately need people like him in my life. I literally can not have people near me who are negative energy sappers because I am working so diligently at keeping my mind and body positive and clean of bad juju. I truly believe that negativity, shame, guilt, remorse, anger, resentment and all the other negative emotions zap my body's ability to heal itself and I stay in a dis-eased state and that I am completely tired of. I call it being sick and tired of being sick and tired. So, I am making changes and one of the biggest changes I am making in my life is to keep only the people who exude that positive, upbeat energy that I find so important to me at this time in my life. I keep close to me people who love me unconditionally and without reservation. Gregg came into my life just at the right time. God never makes a mistake that's for sure. I adored and cherished him when we were kids and I still do. Here's part of why I feel this way::
On Gregg's FB page one of the quotes on his home page is by
Dr. Seuss and it says:: "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." I loved it so much that I mentioned it to him immediately. Well, yesterday I had my hair done prior to meeting with Gregg for lunch. I told my hair designer, Lissa, that I was meeting with my old dear friend and that he has the most delightful quote on his FB page. I repeated the quote to Lissa and we both agreed about how positive and uplifting the quote was and how wonderful the quote's ability was to change our feelings so that we are able to see things in a different light.
Well, fast forward to luncheon at Nordstrom Cafe with Gregg. He is carrying with him a bag from Target, which I find wildly amusing, but don't say anything about it. We order our lunch and walk over to our booth, with Gregg poised at the ready to do battle with anyone who might want our booth! Hah. We sit down and after a moment of getting our drinks organized, he pushes the bag over to me and tells me this is my birthday present and to please open it. Well, I was soooo totally not expecting the gifts in the first place that I was a little, well, not embarrassed, but shy and modest I guess. I get that way sometimes when I am not expecting such caring from someone. I ask him what he wants me to open first and so I go for the card, which is fabulous and extremely poignant. I then open the smaller present, which turns out to be a fantastic CD by cellist Truls Mork of Bach Cello Suites. Bach is my hero, period. He created his work solely for the glory of God and his music is nothing short of miraculous and heavenly, intuitive. It doesn't get much better than that.
Then I open the larger gift. As I open what I now know to be a wooden plaque, I notice a 'don't cry' sticker in the lower right hand corner, I flip the thing over, and on the front is the quote from Dr. Seuss. I instantly burst into tears and looked over into Gregg's eyes and he was tearing up too. He got me good. I was absolutely not expecting such a touching birthday present and one that was so from his heart. He told me that he had had the plaque for sometime but for some reason had never put it up. We now know it was because it was meant for me. He has since ordered another for himself, but this one was for me.
God works in our lives in such unexpected ways if we just stay open to Him and His love for us. Blessings truly come to us in the form of people. People like Gregg who's heart is open and radiant. He thanked me for my support of him over the past year as he has navigated through the challenges of relocating, job shifts, caring for an elderly father, making new friends and letting go of his past life as he knew it to make room for the new life he's creating for himself right now. And although some of the pieces are a bit different this is exactly the same struggles I am dealing with and it is beyond wonderful having someone around me who is feeling the same way I am and who is willing to stay positive and loving despite every reason not to.
The plaque is going up right above my alcove of computers and creative space. I don't call it my work space since work is a negative word to me. i don't ever go to work, I go to fun everyday. That is how I have always considered my careers, fun. Places for me to use the gifts and talents God so graciously gave me to honor Him. How poignant that my creative space is all about having fun and that my plaque is in honor of the king of fun, Dr. Seuss.
I am truly blessed and I thank you so much, Gregg. Joy is in my heart every time I look over and see that blue piece of wood.
So, no crying, only smiling!
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