Proverbs 16:9 – A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps. This weekend was packed full of activities and events that all came down to one thing, “I am now a senior citizen”. Friday night was my retirement party at my house. As friends, relatives and former co-workers gathered I took a moment to talk about things. Of course I thanked them for coming and let them know how much they each meant to me. But, I went on to remind them of my new found career in “writing”. Almost 2 years ago God reminded me of this love of mine and the talent that he had given me and now I have published 5 children’s books, released a song and just this past week published the book about the story behind the song: title, “He Gave Me a Song”. Now, I am sensing the need to speak at one of our Senior Citizens luncheons at church but have been making excuses. “What can I possibly say to those much wiser than I? I am not a smart person. I don’t have a college degree. I am not an experienced writer.” Well, you get the point. I have been pushing back from God; making excuses. I wandered in the wilderness for almost 20 years and almost 2 years ago decided to listen to God. What a difference that has made in my life. Dah!!! In preparation for my party, I was out shopping this past week and while in the checkout line it occurred to me that I am now a senior citizen and they may offer a discount. So I asked the question before they rang me up. And, sure enough, they offered a 10% discount to seniors on Wednesday. And, as luck would have it, it was Wednesday. My first senior citizen discount. Now I had two very big things to be thankful for. I am now retired; and I get discounts at some places. How cool are both of those things? The retirement party was a success and Saturday I participated in the Books Down South inaugural book festival. It was a huge success and I sold lots of books. But the most rewarding part of the festival was being able to tell my story to so many people. Ronda Rich spoke to many emerging authors such as myself and the one thing she said really hit home to me. “We all have a story to tell.” Simple truth. And, that is exactly what God has been teaching me these past 2 years. “Tell your story Annette, and be bold enough to tell others about me. You know what your mission is and you have a plan, but rely on me to direct your path and I will not fail you.” God has been good to me my entire life even though I have not always been obedient to him. But, I have finally learned this is a daily walk and I have a much deeper love for him. It’s not about me. It’s about him. So, I’ll tell my story but it’s really his story. Each of us have our own story to tell. What’s yours?