Just the right place

Yesterday I took an opportunity to zip to the local bookstore to purchase some flashcards for a little girl I know who's having a bit of trouble in school. This bookstore is lovely; it has a huge children's section of toys and another huge section of teaching supplies for teachers or (I assume) home schoolers. Their book selection is not quite like the chain stores, but they do have a fantastic self help section. I'm not sure if it's that the selection is better or that the way it's arranged allows me to find what I never knew I needed with more ease.

All this to say I stumbled across a book that looked perfect for my sister. She is one of those people whose plate is always overloaded because she's never learned the power of saying 'no' when asked to do something. If someone is in need she's one of the first on site to do what needs doing. If there is some board or group that needs a new member or a helping hand she seems incapable of the phrase, "I'd love to help, but I don't think that I can join right now." She is a great friend at the expense of herself. She will go, go, go and talk about how she would love some downtime until she is sick and stuck in bed. Then she gets up and does the go, go, go thing all over again. It's quite frustrating for those of us who love her.

The book is "Take Time for Your Life" by Cheryl Richardson. It's 'A Personal Coach's 7-Step Program for Creating the Life You Want.' I flipped the book over to read the back and it lists the seven steps. I read as far as

Step 2: If your schedule doesn't reflect your priorities, stop reacting to life and take control of what gets your time and attention.

before sticking the book into the stack in my arms. This book screamed 'Ashley needs me!'

She came by last night for a few minutes and we talked a bit about why she seemed down. She talked about having so much on her plate and how she really just needed to focus on what was best for her. I wanted to run to my room and grab this book, this one I had magically stumbled upon in just the right place at just the right time. I somehow restrained myself. Her birthday is Tuesday and there is a girls night out dinner planned. I'll give her the book (and her other gifts) then. It sounds to me as if she is in the right frame of mind to read and appreciate the book now.

It's always exciting to me to be able to find what I perceive as a wonderful, useful, and necessary gift for someone I love. I truly hope that it turns out to be as helpful as I think it may be...