Hallway Pause
This week, I have been traveling across the United States.
Much of the drive has been long stretches of open, desolate landscape. I love it when it is just me, the road, and my thoughts. It allows me to pause & reflect. This trip has been about letting go of the stress of 2025.
Then came Texas: aggressive drivers and really bumpy roads.
By the time I reached Dallas, the pace had really shifted. I felt overwhelmed, like I had stepped back into the very rat race I had just driven away from. Whether it was the traffic, the California plates in Texas, or old PTSD wounds resurfacing, something in me felt threatened and unsettled.
I drove on for a bit, but I was rattled. I decided not to continue on to Birmingham for New Year’s Eve as I had hoped and instead stopped at the most affordable hotel I could find. It ended up being in Ruston, Louisiana, a place I'd never heard of. To my surprise, the stay was restful and gave me a strong sense of safety.
This morning, New Year’s Day, I went down to the lobby to get breakfast, exchanging Happy New Year's greetings with the people I came across. It was the response of one hotel worker that took me by surprise.
She replied to me with, “Happy New Year. I am grateful to be working.”
There was a momentary pause. It was as if she were answering a question I had not asked, but one I needed to hear. Something in that moment softened me. I suppose she may have assumed I would feel sorry for her for working on a holiday, but I did not feel that at all. I understood completely. Her words uncovered a spirit of gratitude I had not lost, but one I had allowed to be buried under the noise and pressures of life. I realized how much I need gratitude. It is truly life-giving.
Later, in the hallway, I saw her again and told her how much she had encouraged me and how her words had renewed my sense of gratitude. And once again, I recognized something in her. Something authentic and familiar feeling. I wondered if it was Jesus, so I asked if she was a Jesus believer.
She paused, as if answering a question she did not yet know she needed to answer. Then she looked me in the eyes and said she believed, but that she did not use the same name I did.
“What is the name of your God?” I asked.
She whispered it so softly I could barely hear. Yeshua. A beautiful whisper that felt holy. We both paused, receiving. Maybe she needed to say it. Maybe I needed to hear it. Then she explained that His name simply did not use the J way back when.
We hugged and shared a few things we were each grateful for. Then we promised one another to carry gratitude into the rest of the year. We snapped a photo together to remember our commitment.
This morning, I was reminded that sometimes God connects us in the most practical and ordinary places, like a hotel hallway, if we are only willing to notice Him there.
Psalm 46:10, "Be still, and know that I am God,”
a snapshot of gratitude.
Grateful for the pause.
I used to do something called Snapshots of Gratitude, and I would love to bring it back in a new way. When I share a snapshot of gratitude, you are welcome to join in by adding your own photo or a word of gratitude in the comments. No pressure. No daily goals. Just simple gratitude.
