toddsilva.com

You know, I do my very best to stay positive and upbeat, and am committed to my inner work everyday. And one of the new things I’ve added to my life is to begin to eliminate the “news” from each day. I’m talking about the news on TV and in print.

But I have to admit, I still feel overwhelmed sometimes with all that’s going on. If I don’t hear it on TV anymore or read it in the paper, somebody’s talking about “it” at work. And “it” is how bad it is out there right now.

So…

I found myself pulling into the parking lot of the Barnes and Noble bookstore, because I wanted to look for a particular book and a magazine. I turned off the car, had my dollar in my hand, and paused for a moment.

I was feeling that overwhelm again, after hearing more people talking about “it” at the office. So I prayed about it in my car. I talked to God, while I held onto that dollar that I would soon be giving away in the store. And then a thought came to me like a bright beam of light – I thought back on how I had been in a financially devastating situation just two years earlier, and truthfully did not know how I was going to pull my family out of the rut I had gotten us into. At that time, the rest of the world was in great shape. But we weren’t. And that’s all that mattered at the time. That’s all I could focus on.

You probably know the rest of the story – that, in the midst of that really challenging situation, I was inspired to begin to Give Away A Dollar A Day. All at a time when there was a part of me that wasn’t sure if there was any hope left. But I did it anyway. I listened to that still small voice of inspiration inside. I trusted.

I reflected back on all of this while sitting in my car holding onto that dollar… And I realized that there is very likely a really big group of people right now – possibly all 6 billion of us – who feel the same way that I felt back then when I didn’t know where to turn to or what to do next. And then it became even clearer to me. Back then, I listened, and I trusted. And as a result, we were more than just a little provided for. In the coming months, it would unfold that we were being very well provided for. I would come to know that God was our Source. Not the economy. Not the business environment. Not who I know or what I know.

And you know what? I don’t think that NOW is any different. God is still my Source, and God is still OUR Source. For all of us! So as I held that dollar in my hand, I said “Thank you, God, for being my Source”! That’s when I opened my door, got out of my car, and headed into the store…

I didn’t find either the book or the magazine I was looking for, but while searching, I decided to slip my dollar inside the cover of one of the guitar magazines. (Hey, I’m a guitar player, so I wanted another picker who bought that magazine later on to enjoy this gift!) I made sure that about an inch of it was poking out the top so that anyone could see it while browsing through the magazine section. Well… wouldn’t you know it, one of the employees in the store came over later on to help me find what I was searching for, and he ends up finding the bill! I heard him mumble, and then say, “Woah, I thought this was a fake”, and then picked it up and put it in his pocket. I didn’t say anything. I didn’t look at him. I kept on browsing. The Secret Dollar Man never reveals his identity!

I felt so good after that, that I left ANOTHER dollar while in the grocery store right next to our house, where I made another stop on the way home.

But here’s what really blew me away today…

I headed back home, and turned off into our neighborhood. There was a woman jogger on the street. As I got ready to turn down our side street, I spotted something in the road that looked like a bill. So I stopped the car – right there in the middle of the intersection! – and got out to retrieve it. The jogger was right next to my car by this time and picked up the bill first. She turned to me and said, “Is this yours?” I looked at it. It was a $10 bill! Just lying there in the street!! How often does THAT happen?!?… I told her, “Hey, you picked it up first, it’s yours”. She had kind of a half-puzzled, half-excited look on her face, and continued on her jog, holding that new $10 bill in her hand. Yes, I was tempted to claim it for my own, because I knew that I had spotted it first. But in the spirit of giving, I wanted HER to have it! The whole string of events around giving and God as my Source were all coming together in this moment, and it felt like I was giving her this gift!

Remember that this adventurous trip all started with me hooking into the “news” once again, and what others are saying right now and are worried about. But with all of the wonderful things that happened around Give Away A Dollar A Day today, I have NO DOUBT whatsoever that God IS my Source.

In gratitude, and blessings,

Todd