While it has been quite a while since I blogged, the topic is still VA. Next I will talk of Aris. This woman was a quiet spirit when I met her. She said "My name is Aris....like Paris but without the P". She didn't speak much to me but she was always cordial. Over time it was evident that we were of the same faith. She spoke of her early life church family and how she missed them. She clearly does her best to follow our lord. One day I brought my wife in to meet my fellow employees. Afterwards, she said to me," That Aris woman is strikingly beautiful"! I had never really noticed. Her hair was very tight to her scalp and very different than anyone I had ever known. After my wife said that, then it was clear that yes she was a beautiful woman. The last couple of months I was there, I started eating low-carb with much success. Little did I know that so was Aris! We became an encouragement to one another in following the Lord and allowing him to direct our eating styles and habits. It was a blessing. It was God's way of telling me that He was with me. So often I think we do not realize how we ourselves are instruments of god's blessing to one another. Just our presence is a sign to some people that God truly loves them and is watching over them. Aris was this kind of blessing to me. She spoke words of encouragement to me that caused me to blush on more than one occasion. "Don't you ever change Dan. You keep loving your wife and family. You are what a man is supposed to be. You are a Godly man" Perhaps she didn't even use these words but this is the message I received from her all the time. What an encouragement.