I see the Q-tip, actually I feel her presence, before I notice her physically in front of me on the foreign ground. A park–actually the space between the park, and the parking lot. I meant to hike my familiar one, but for whatever reason, it was closed off to the trails outside the main thoroughfare, which was hardly amusing. So I made my way to this place. And here it was, waiting for me to find her.

Here HE was, waiting for me to find HIM.

This hasn’t happened before, finding a Q-tip and have nothing to say. Oh I have plenty to share, but the promise I made God during a steamy day one summer morning last year rang similar to George Bailey’s daughter’s declaration near the Christmas tree, “Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.”

For me it rang, “Every time I see a Q-tip, I will post my last journal entry.”

I’ve stayed true to this promise, whether I felt like it or not. And I will say the one the other day was hardly one I wanted shared. Still, I’ve stayed true.

So here I am hours after posting, when I see another Q-tip.

I wonder along as I walk, questioning, “what does this mean?”

Sometimes we need to look around at all He’s doing, to answer such a question as this.

…

Many moons ago, I comment to my sister in the midst of a conversation about who knows what, “My calling is calling.”

She responds, “Answer it.”

Her words have surfaced here and there, wondering the deeper meaning under such a simple statement. Answer it. Answer what? My calling.

Which can send one all over in a mental tangent discovering callings, like attempting to take hold of a paper on a windy day–you come close, it flies onward. Until you either grab it, or let it fly away.

Unless you pay attention.

One day while running this same summer season of last year, a vehicle passed me by. Its license plate spoke one word:  AVENUE.

No biggie, people all over have personalized license plates. It wasn’t until shortly later I hear the words within, “Your avenue is God Winks.”

God Winks are a series of books on the coincidences/moments God speaks to us. Over the last year I’ve taken this “word” from God seriously and have submitted many articles to them of moments when God has made Himself obvious to me.

Silence on their end.

…

Pondering my purpose in life, and with my writing, I’ve wondered often about this moment from last year.

What is my purpose?

I’ve been doing this writing gig since 2008, through a divine calling to do so. I’ve ventured all over the place in this time. The last few years my writing focus has centered in and around pain and hardship in some way. Makes sense, considering the landscape as of late.

But I’m tired of writing publicly here. Have been for awhile, and would’ve walked on had I not made a commitment to the Q-tip.

…

Sitting in stillness the other morning, I see two moments hardly ordinary that were also tucked away (from my previous blog post) for me to find–both are framed in my office and will be shared in this space in the near future. Suffice to say, they speak of a story I desire to share. Actually many stories.

But the one I share first is one that spoke to me in the still moment of yesterday. It is a story about answering a call. It is in a book with the same title as the moment earlier, God Winks.

I pick it up to look at the table of contents for direction of my book proposal. The pages worn from time, likely ten years on my shelf it sat waiting on me. I scan the pages and stop at a story I highlighted and underlined about a man named Ken, titled, The Incredible,Unbelievable Call—

Ken was feeling unsatisfied (similar to the words I wrote also in my previous post, specifically, “I am not satisfied.”), tired, when he questions, “Where am I Lord?”

He wondered to himself about his purpose while driving down the road with a group of people. Shortly after, they pull to a rest stop to eat, and instead of joining them, he goes for a walk. Nearby was a payphone (yes this story shows its time on the technology timeline), and as he walks by, the phone rings.

He looks around, perplexed, but answers the call.

An operator on the line asks if he’ll take a call, “I have a person to person call for Mr. Ken ____.”

He looks around, wondering if this is a joke.

It is no joke.

States and miles away in a moment of pondering whether what he was doing in life had significance, God sent him a message of hope on the other line. The lady saw him on a TV show and was in the midst of writing out her suicide note, when a phone number came to her mind of this man she saw. She assumed she was calling his office.

They spoke for ten minutes, and in that time two things happened:

The message spoke life to the one who wanted to end her life, and the one questioning his validity in life.

Because the message was from the Author of Life.

…

It is time to answer the call–for me that is to share the stories along the way in which this vast God of the universe stepped into my world, with a word of His own.

A story within a story.

For me.

For you.

Until then, I hope this encourages you to know you are seen, truly seen right where you are. Right now. Not in a creepy seeing in which your hair tentacles raise up, but sees you like someone who adores and wants to be near.