Sometimes a book finds a person.
Sometimes a person finds a book.
And sometimes God arranges the meeting.
Ladies and gentlemen…
Welcome to your life.
Welcome to my life.
And now, welcome to someone else’s life too.
One of the unexpected blessings of authoring PEARLS FOR THE SOUL has been the opportunity to meet people from every walk of life. Teachers. Pastors. Students. Grandparents. Business owners. Homemakers. Professionals.
And truck drivers.
Especially one truck driver I will never forget.
TURN TO ANY PAGE…
IT’S FOR YOU
I was attending a book signing with my publisher one afternoon.
People were coming and going, browsing books, asking questions, and sharing stories.
Then I noticed her.
A woman, perhaps in her early fifties.
Strong.
Weathered.
Quiet.
The kind of person who looked like life had asked a lot from her and she had answered every challenge.
She stood at a distance watching.
Studying.
Observing.
Finally, she slowly approached our table.
She picked up a copy of PEARLS FOR THE SOUL and asked a simple question:
“What is this book about?”
I smiled.
I have answered that question many times.
My answer is always the same.
“It’s about the reader.”
Then I extended the invitation.
“Turn to any page…
It’s for you.”
And she did.
PEOPLE’S REACTIONS
By this point I was familiar with what usually happens.
Eyebrows raise.
Heads nod.
A smile appears.
Sometimes laughter.
Sometimes silence.
Sometimes tears.
PEARLS FOR THE SOUL has a curious way of finding the part of a person that has been waiting to be heard.
This woman opened to the chapter titled:
LOVE.
Then something remarkable happened.
TEARS…
COME FORTH
She began reading.
The room disappeared.
The noise disappeared.
The crowd disappeared.
The tough truck driver disappeared.
Standing before me was something much deeper.
A child.
A human being.
A soul.
Her eyes filled with tears.
Then she looked up at me and said words I will never forget.
“No one has ever told me they loved me.”
Silence.
Just silence.
Fifty years.
Half a century.
Thousands of miles traveled.
Countless people met.
And not one person had ever clearly told her she was loved.
MY TEARS WERE READY TOO
The truth is…
My own tears were not far behind.
But years of listening to people taught me something.
When someone opens their heart to you, the moment belongs to them.
You must remain present.
You must remain available.
You must remain steady.
So I stood up from my chair.
Walked over to her.
Looked her in the eyes.
And said:
“You are loved.”
“You are wanted.”
“You are cherished.”
“You are loved first by God, whose breath is in your body.”
“You are loved by me, who has had the privilege of meeting you today.”
“And you are loved by many others who simply forgot to tell you.”
“Please forgive them.”
SHE BECAME A CHILD AGAIN
The transformation was immediate.
The tough truck driver vanished.
The defenses vanished.
The armor vanished.
For a few precious moments she simply stood there holding the book.
Receiving.
Absorbing.
Believing.
Like a child enjoying an ice cream cone on a summer day.
Simple.
Pure.
Joyful.
It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed.
PEARLS FROM THE BOOK
The moment reminded me of several Pearls for the Soul sayings:
“Everyone wants to be loved.
No one wants to be alone.”
“The greatest treasure you will ever discover is another human being.”
“Life rewards participation.”
“The purpose of life is to discover the purpose of life.”
“When you feed the soul, you feed everything.”
“Everything you need to know is already within you.”
And perhaps most appropriate:
“There are people starving for a kind word while surrounded by food.”
WHY SHE STOPPED
The fascinating part?
She wasn’t from the area.
She was passing through.
She later told us she had no intention of stopping.
Something simply told her to get off the freeway.
Something told her to pull over.
Something told her to enter the bookstore.
Something told her to walk over to our table.
At the time she didn’t know why.
Now she did.
Sometimes life arranges meetings.
Sometimes God arranges appointments.
Sometimes the answer arrives before the question is fully formed.
THIS GIFT GIVES
I often say that PEARLS FOR THE SOUL is not really about me.
It is about people.
It is about what is already inside them.
It is about awakening what they already know in their hearts.
Perhaps that is why pastors purchase it.
Teachers share it.
Study groups discuss it.
Families pass it around.
Friends buy it for friends.
And why it went into a second printing.
WHAT THEN?
If you ever find yourself needing encouragement…
If you ever find yourself needing perspective…
If you ever find yourself wondering whether anyone understands…
Open the book.
Turn to any page.
It’s for you.
And perhaps…
It is for us too.
— Richie
Pearls for the Soul
when you feed the soul, you feed everything.
https://pearlsforthesoul.com
Been expecting you