Thursday, March 19, 2009

The Front Door Of Your Heart--Getting past, "Never Do."

Today I ate lunch with someone who is a somewhat new person in my life. It was an extremely last minute thing, totally unplanned, totally a God-thing.

We met 2 years ago in an official business type setting, then ended up spending some extra time outside that setting in a non personal way as time went by.

Fast forward to April of last year and I knew there was something incredibly special about her but I still felt hesitant about really pursing anything outside of our business type situation in the area of friendship.

I am so busy.

She is so busy and a newlywed to boot. She is in a place where others are vying for her attention quite a bit and there is only so much of her to go around in the amount of time she has.

There is more than 10 years age difference between us which is new for me because my best friend and mentor is 20years older. I'm used to and comfortable with, being the baby, lol.

I am tied up with my husband and kids, my church, my job and other things.....It was just never a priority to pursue anything past a surface, admiring relationship, even though I thought she was amazing and fantastic.


I got wind of a crisis in her life that was freshly developing this morning and my schedule loomed ahead of me, flexible and somewhat open for a brief time today so I picked up the phone and did what we had talked about and mentioned in passing several times: I invited her to lunch.

After an amazing lunch that stretched into 2 hours on the beautiful, sunny, back deck of Gracie Ray's on St. Andrews Bay I sent her an email and into that I typed out a little piece of my heart:

Sometimes ya meet people and think: If I allowed that person past the front door of my heart I could probably have something very special with them. And then never do.

So today was the first step past "never do" for us.

Welcome to the foyer just past the front door of my heart. It is probably not very tastefully decorated but eh, who cares. It's my foyer and I happen to LIKE the color red in every possible form, lol. Welcome and please do come back soon!



The front door has been opened wide and it was wonderful. We exchanged a couple of emails that indicated that indeed, she felt the same way. It was exciting. It was fun. That two hours was ripe with the promises of laughter yet to be laughed, fun yet to be had, secrets yet to be shared and friendship yet to be explored. And I liked it.

Very much.

I also felt a twinge of regret. I look back on all the people I have felt chemistry with that I never allowed past my front door. All the aquaintences that I never approached the front door of their heart either.

All the times my friends Jim and Gaynell and I talked about eating out or doing something together and then Jim was gone. And we never did.

The people who have come and gone from my church family that I was drawn to but didn't show up on their hearts doorstep, asking to be let in. Nor did I give them access to my own. Opportunities gone and passed by.

I could go on but I think the point is made.

My friend today, I'll call her the Peach, was all that I believed her to be and more. (READ: Godly, funny, smart, kind, big hearted, loving, loyal and did I mention funny??? )

I am so glad I opened the door to my heart, got past, "never do," and invited her in. I think she's glad too.


How about you?

Can you think of people that you know, that you have chemistry with, that you never seem to have the time to open the door of your heart to and invest in them and their own heart?

Have you allowed them in to take a look around the foyer or even the living room of your heart?

how about iced tea at your heart's kitchen table?

I am tired of looking back and even looking around now at people whom I have chemistry with and never doing anything about it.

Today felt good. Today I took a "never do" and made it a "do." Think about that, and maybe consider switching some "do's" around too?


I think the next time I spend time with the Peach I am taking crayons to draw on the walls of the foyer of her heart. She's very artistic. I think she'd like that. =]


crayon heart Pictures, Images and Photos