A midday Mediterranean detour...

This week I met with two brand new clients, a mother and daughter. They are Assyrian. And instantly upon meeting them, I felt transported to another place and time. It was a wonderful place, full of warmth, sweetness, kindness and hospitality... and place where phrases like "bless your heart" happened naturally, a place where food and drinks flowed freely, a place where children crawled up on Nana's lap to hear a story and everyone smiled freely, genuinely.

And let me tell you.... I felt changed. It felt as if some of the hard edges life's carved upon my demeanor became softened, as if my emotional pillows were fluffed and freshened, as if the energy flowing through my veins was pure and strong, neither swift nor sluggish. I felt as if fresh sweet breezes brushed my soul, leaving a sparkling, clear dustless, glittering light. To put it simply... I felt nothing but love there.

What a powerful thing love is. It DID truly change me. I felt less in a rush, I felt as if all the petty details that suck up my time and clutter my desk could wait. Suddenly I had a sense of what was most important about life, and that was to let its divine richness fill me, spill over my brim and in doing so, fill others as I was being filled. Within, I couldn't stop thanking God, for He was very much present with us there. I felt nothing but abundance. Fears, worries, annoyances... these all ceased to exist.

I stayed far longer than I normally would at a first meeting with a new client. They seemed to want me to stay. We sat and talked about all kinds of things. "Nana" told me about life in Europe, about the wonderful Mediterranean cooking she learned growing up. (It's one of my favorite cuisines!) I learned more about cooking and life in that afternoon than a whole year watching television or reading books could ever teach me. They served me lunch and I was touched when they paused to say grace first. (How I love that.) It was a meeting I will long remember.... and hope to repeat in months to come as I help them with their home.

It's interesting... clearly they are affluent. But affluence is a quiet, waiting servant there. They have a joyful spirit of generosity about them in all they say and do. It reinforced two things I've come to believe. One, in giving, and in extending good will in all areas of life, it returns many, many times over. And secondly, there is a wealth that has nothing to do with money or possessions, and that is where our most precious treasures lie.... in Love that surrounds us and fills us.