I didn’t stop for a doughnut this morning. I didn’t go out for lunch. I won’t be picking up barbeque for supper.

No, I’m not on a literal fast today (talk about making me HANGRY) but I’m not buying anything. Zip. Zilch. Nada. No nothin’.

I’m out of eyeliner. Too bad. Should have popped by Belk yesterday. I would sure like a slice of cookie cake. Oh well. Good thing I don’t need gas, ’cause I guess I’d be begging y’all for a ride to and fro. No using Uber. No books from the online retailer I use with frequency. No new socks or body wash or any number of vital items. Granted, I’m only fasting for one day, so it’s no big deal, but it does make one conscious of all the things we buy. Maybe that will be my thing next year: limited amount of groceries, no excess anything, including gas.

Who picked this for me? Somebody that knows me well- myself. I’ve been in prayer for Christy, my friend of nearly twenty years, the Christy who does my hair. She couldn’t think of anything and told me to pick something that I would benefit from. I chose this sacrifice, because Christy is frugal and thinks through every single purchase she makes. Unlike me. I need to be more like her. Or maybe I should just give her my checks and my bills and let her control my finances. She’d probably rather enjoy that. After she got over the heart attack from seeing what I spend, that is.

Anyway, Christy’s request was simple. She merely wants her transition from the space she leases for her business to her new location to be a smooth one. I don’t have much experience with moving, unless you count the Co-op renovation, but I get that things could easily get out of whack quick fast and in a hurry.

Lord, some days are harder than others. Sometimes I feel like I get further away the closer I try to get to you. I don’t claim to be perfect, and I certainly hope no one uses me as an example as how a Christian is supposed to act because I know I fail you at every turn. That’s why we’re only supposed to look to you. You will not fail us. A better example of a Christian can be found in my friend Christy. Her heart is pure, she only wants to help others. Every time I see her, I manage to draw out what she has been up to, and more often than not, she has spent gobs of time with her family, getting groceries and taking them to her grandparents, or sitting at the hospital with some kin, or helping keep someone’s housework up because they’re just not able to. Christy has her own health concerns, and I always have a niggling feeling that she puts others needs before her own, when hers seem to be even more pressing. Lord, I ask for you to heal her, to cure the problems with her bladder and back, and whatever her other ailments are. She’s a diligent servant of yours, Lord, and I know you use her as a tool every day as she chats with the people in and out of her chair. I thank you for all the blessings you’ve bestowed to help her run a successful shop. It’s not many hairdressers that have to turn new clients away, and I know it breaks her heart to do so. But that’s the ultimate goal, isn’t it? To have so much business you can’t keep up? And you know how she tries. She works harder than I care to think about. And she’s good at it, and everyone loves her. So as it comes time to move her shop I pray that everything goes smoothly. I pray that nothing gets broken or damaged in any way, that all paperwork and transactions are seamless. I also ask that she not lose any clients, if that is indeed your will. Personally, I think it would do her good to have some time off her feet, but nobody is asking me. I pray that all her equipment runs without a hiccup and all the little things she knows about and is fretting over are proven inconsequential. I know I’m missing some stuff, but I hope this covers it and sets Christy’s mind at ease. She’s a true friend, a tireless worker, and a devoted mother and wife. But she’s also anxious, and I want her to put more faith in you. It will be fine. Her new space is beautiful, and I do want her to be able to enjoy it. This has been her heart’s desire ever since she first started doing hair. She’s achieved her dream and I want it to be as fruitful as possible. She’s earned it with you at her side. Please, Lord, continue to bless her and comfort her fears. In Jesus’ name, amen.

It’s a well known fact that if I hit the lottery (yes, the one I don’t play. well…I’ve played exactly twice, actually), I would hire Christy away. I have a love/ hate relationship with my hair and we get along much better if I don’t have to fool with it. So Christy would be in my full time employment, living on a cruise ship several months a year. I would be massaged awake, fed breakfast, and ensconced in a chair while she did something with my hair. Her husband and daughter are welcome to tag along, but I would daresay Jason would be happier in the tractor shed.

It’s not often I get to write about Christy and I wish I felt comfortable taking the liberty to tell more tonight, but it’s been a long day for yours truly and let’s just say I wish I was climbing into her chair tomorrow morning for a blow out. My hair would be one less thing to think about. Time for yoga. Sleep is for the weak 😉

Love from Appalachia,

Amy xoxo