My eyes flickered as a gentle light filtered through my sheer curtains. Monday morning. Time to get up .

Mondays typically have a nice rhythm; work, swim, and then Kipper and I head to the beach. After swimming at the Y, I pulled on my shorts and threw on a t-shirt and hat, and jumped in my Jeep.

As I headed, down the road, I quietly asked God, “Why am I here? Why Santa Barbara? How do you wanna use me?

I waited but heard nothing.

As an elementary school just let out for the day, my thoughts wandered to my own kids. Jake is in Chicago. Tarah is in New York. Why am I here?

Wanting a response I yelled, “Come on! I wanna know why here ? Why Santa Barbara?”

I saw a VON’s sign approaching and thought Bananas . I’m out. I pulled in the parking lot, got out, and within a few minutes my grocery cart was filled and I was checking out.

As my groceries, made their way down the conveyor belt, the girl bagging my groceries said, “I love your purse. It is so cute just like you.” A warm smile covered my face. “Aww thanks! It was a birthday gift.”

We start talking like old friends. As she loaded my groceries in my cart, she leaned in and whispered in my ear. “Thanks for being so nice to me. Right before you came to check out, I said to myself, I need hope. I need to see that someone sees me.”

I looked at her name tag and said, “Karen, can I hug you?” She nodded. I hugged her tight like a favorite teddy bear and whispered into her ear, “I see you. God sees you. You gave me purpose today. I will see you again Karen.”

I pushed my shopping cart out the door and tipped my hat to the sky and thought,You do see me ! You do hear me!

Wanting to remember this moment, I quickly waved a man down in the parking lot and asked him to take a picture of the purse that started it all.

I got in the car, giggled, and threw a smirk at the sky and said, “You do see me God! And you saw Karen too. Once again you never surprise me!”

I pulled out of the parking space and silently thought, I do belong here.

As I made way home, I looked through my windshield up at the clouds floating by, You give me purpose, God.

How does God want to use you ? Are you willing ?

“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.” Philippians 2:13