Blessed and Highly Favored

Allow me to introduce myself; I said to this woman whom my best friend adores more than a seven year old adores the latest Wii game. Names exchanged and following the standard meet and greet conversation protocol comes the question “How are you?” Her response, “blessed and highly favored,” intrigued me. How bold ...and Very confident I thought to myself.


Well let me tell you—to a woman who lost her paycheck and some freedom, currently dealing with heartache and accidentally spent the grocery money at the Limited all within a few days time… these words were as hurtful as the final score was at the Red River Rivalry on October 17, 2009 (13-16). Perhaps it was the way they were said with such conviction and without any hesitation… like oh, and by the way, food at the State Fair is fattening.

Bitter is the new black, I hear… but it will never look attractive on me.

Black does, though… In fact, one of my most favorite pairs of shoes is black. Classic, leather, peep toes with an oval mirror centered across the front. Cost per wear would be practically one cent! (this is how I choose to justify purchases to the men in my life who don’t understand the concept of fashion) However, every single time I choose to step out in these pumps, the rain chooses to make an appearance also. With.Out.Fail! Every.Single.Time!

Leather + Rain = Stretched Shoe = Cost per wear goes up = Theory down the drain!

Then Luke Bryan would kindly remind me, “Rain is a Good Thing”… I do agree, but not for any of the reasons in his song and not on days in which I decide to wear those beloved shoes. You see, recently, I have been faced with a lot of unexpected obstacles and being a bit dramatic, I haven’t handled things in the best way. Most of the time I love to run and dance in the rain, but not lately. Instead of accepting help and guidance from loved ones, I have pushed them all away. I lived by the belief that if I closed my eyes there would be sunshine in the morning. Well the rain stayed around long enough that by the time it left, so had my summer tan!

Lucky for me, my friends and family chose to stay around to enjoy the sunshine with me. One of the most special people in my life even prayed that God would bring the rain so that maybe if the rain would stay around long enough, it would bring the, “lets see how many puddles we can splash in,” me back.


At the end of the day, I have learned that regardless of circumstances, God has given me all I could ever need by providing me with the people who love me… even more than I love my most favorite black, stretched out, mirrored, peep toes! ...The ones I want to put on right this minute, run to the track atop the Galleria Mall which overlooks the Dallas Skyline and shout, “I, too, am blessed and highly favored!”