I have been receiving this list for quite some time, and I’d like to share how it has helped me. My life was totally changed two years ago when my marriage ended, and I moved from New England to Texas. I was dealing with so many emotions and trying to decide what I was going to do with the rest of my life, as well as adjusting to a whole new area and lifestyle..

I worked in marketing for a desktop publisher for over a year, until one day without any warning, he sent us all an email and told us he was closing the company, effective immediately. At the time I thought it was about the worst thing that could happen; especially since I had to work from home. As it turned out, it was a blessing in disguise, but I wasn’t to learn that for awhile. A friend who also worked for the company, stepped in and announced that he would keep things going. We still weren’t out of the woods.

I put in a prayer request with Rob that things would somehow turn out, and was amazed by the response I got, from people all over the world, who were praying and were genuinely interested. I had been very disillusioned for a long time, because of the lack of direction in my life. I worked for hours on end trying to get new clients for the design company, and wasn’t making a lot of headway. A friend and I were discussing what we both wanted to do with our lives one day, and she told me that every day when she wakes up, she thanks God, and asks what’s in store for her that day. I decided to do the same thing.

Then several things happened at once. We had to move to another house, tropical storm Allison hit Houston; thankfully we were spared any serious damage, and my daughter and I decided to pursue something we had wanted to do for a long time. We decided to open an online business. We chose to make it a Celtic and Christian store, but were having a hard time getting a merchant account. I learned it was a problem for many new merchants, and it seemed we wouldn’t get approved. There was less than a day left before we had to start the application process all over after finding another company. I prayed for guidance and wondered what would happen.

A few minutes before the close of business, we had a call that our account had been approved, when it had been virtually impossible. So the process of setting up the site and promoting it started, but I still hadn’t really learned that it would work but I wasn’t calling the shots. I was drawn to a website with a particularly interesting design, and found out the webmaster is also a Christian author who later contacted me and whose book we now promote. He is a tremendous help. At the suggestion of someone who has worked on music sites, we posted a few little ads, and before we knew it, we were being contacted on a daily basis by some very gifted people, and making new friends in the process.

When I was worrying about what was or rather wasn’t happening, nothing was working out. I was given some advice a short time ago that I should look at the business with a “new eye” and it would be good to me. Well guess what? It worked. When I stopped worrying and prayed about it, everything started to fall into place. Now before I start working in the morning, I ask “What do you have planned for me today, Lord?’ He is guiding me every step of the way, and I never know what will happen next,. I have even started writing again, which I had no inclination to do for a long time. Since I “let go” things are happening that I never would have imagined even a few months ago. I’ve found that the best thing to do is to let the Holy Spirit guide you. Sometimes it may not seem to be what you want, or may not happen in the way you think it should, but trust Him. He has a plan for all of us. I pray for all of you on this list, and I wish you all the blessings of Christmas. Peace,

Nan NJMilliken@aol.com (Received on Saturday December 22, 2001)