God held my hand while I was in New York City this week promoting both Hopeful Hearts Ministry and EXPOSED: Inexcusable Me…Irreplaceable Him. He opened doors for me and my friend Holly. He had his friends watch out for us and he made sure everyone we came in contact with treated us with kindness, dignity and respect. I want to share it all with you but the easiest way is by pictures.
However, before I go into my date with God in NYC, I want to say a HUGE thank you to my friend, Sheila for hosting a fund raiser for Hopeful Hearts last week and her sister, Carol with Silpada Jewelry for flying into town and donating her commission to the ministry. It was a great success and I am so blessed to have friends such as these women.
Over the weekend was my son’s 14th birthday and we had a few of his friends over to celebrate. I’m sure you can understand my desire to take some time and spend it with him because I blink and he is another inch taller and one foot closer to being fully independent! 😉
It was tough to take off to NYC when I knew I would miss Linda’s funeral. I knew it would be a day of celebration and joy of her life but I also knew she would understand my prior committment. One that she backed up in prayer with me for many years.
The trip to NYC was a whirl wind of events, some planned and some unplanned. Our flight left at 5:10am Tuesday which meant for a very early morning start. From the moment we parked the car and got on the shuttle bus to the airport it felt as if God literally took us by the hand and led the way. We walked up to the gate just as it was boarding. Our first flight went from Houston to Charlotte, NC and passed with a literal blink of an eye because I slept the entire flight. On the second leg of the trip we managed to grab a bite to eat just before boarding. This time we sat next to Mike, a gentleman from New York who retired in Charlotte. Getting to know someone and their background is better than any blockbuster movie and before we knew it the flight was landing into La Guardia.
Coming off the plane we planned to take a yellow cab but met up with a luxury sedan taxi that charged us exactly what the yellow cab would (I’ll admit, I did have to haggle a bit as I knew what the yellow cab would charge because I had just been to NYC in May! 😉 but he relented and we settled into comfort. Now, we also knew the UN was meeting in NYC and yet we had no delays and thanks to the knowledge of our driver he skirted all the traffic.
At our hotel, the Ameritania, I was a bit leery because it was more of a ’boutique’ hotel that I took a chance with on “Priceline” – naming my own price. (I am a penny pincher!) As per the design of our day it was a fabulous hotel and the people were accommodating and very friendly. The door man, Jeffrey, found out we needed to catch a train to New Jersey and he took care of our bags and got us a cab that dropped us off directly in front of the entrance to Penn Station that led us to the ticket counter.
Holly and I had no idea what we were doing or where we were going and yet we fumbled our way into buying the correct ticket and then finding the correct train (which wasn’t as easy as we both thought it should be!). On the trip there and back every time we went to meet up with the train it appeared before us and we walked on. It began to feel as if God was there waiting once we found it and whistled it to the curb. 😉
In Ridgewood, New Jersey we met with Pam who works at one of the church’s in the area. Our meeting was by design as well as she is the mother of a friend that was also another chance meeting (too long and complicated of a story to tell…just know, it was a ‘God thing’ ;)). When she found out we were coming into town she insisted we come to Jersey so she could show us around. There is the possibility that I could go back in April to do a few events so it was nice to see the area.
Holly and I learned all sorts of interesting facts about the area and the people. For instance, Tuesday night was the first evening of Yom Kipper, the Jewish New Year, and we found out a little about the tradition that went into this event. The little Italian restaurant we went to was just a few blocks from their home and was some of the best Italian food I’ve ever tasted.
Once we made our way back to NYC we were exhausted and fell to sleep with no trouble. The next day I had a meeting with The Odyssey Network to film a series of clips for an APP they have called ‘Call on Faith’. This is an Interfaith program and again, another inspiring experience.
That afternoon we had a few hours to explore before our next meeting and we turned the corner of our hotel to find the Ed Sullivan Theater where the Late Show is taped. We looked at each other and both agreed we should give it a shot to try to sit in on a taping. Again, God held our hands as we walked in, 30 minutes before their box office closed and 20 minutes later we received a call that we were on the list for tickets! Two hours later we stood in the parlor of the Ed Sullivan Theater being ‘coached’ by the Late Show Pages to “Laugh at all times, even if Dave isn’t funny.” Oh, and never ever say “Whoa!” instead, we were to laugh and yell out ‘Yeah!’.
We were filed into the studio and Holly and I were in the front on the third row! Thank God for the Pages coaching us too because there were many times that Holly and I looked at each other with ‘That wasn’t funny’ written on our face as we LOL. 😉 Ah, showbiz…
An hour later we were back in our hotel and getting ready to meet with Rachel, Editor of Lifestyle & Charity Magazine, and Ashley, editor of Verily Magazine. We went to the most amazing restaurant down the street from our hotel called Bocca di Bacco. If you are ever in NYC and in the area of 55th and 9th, I highly recommend you trying this place AND having the octopus! I was hesitant at first when the manager mentioned it was one of their most popular appetizers. Seeing the doubt written all over my face he brought over the dish for us to try. I should learn not to be so picky! It was delicious.
I could go on and on about our dinner as these two young women were not only inspiring but a true blessing to be in their company. The magazines they offer are exactly what women (both young and seasoned) need in our lives today to replace the printed lies that taint the newsstands. I will feature each magazine on a blog next week as they each deserve their story to be told.
Another nights sleep and another full day of travel and I’m blessed to have experienced it all!
Blessings
Shannon
