There's an unexpected phenomenon I've witnessed many times. Just when you think that someone has been put in your path to help you, you realize that you've been put in their path to help them.

I've been systematically seeking out bookstores where I might be able to do a music program and book signing. The options are very limited because Barnes & Noble and Borders book stores have swallowed up almost all of the independent book stores. And Barnes & Noble and Borders would love to have you do a book singing if your name is Stephen King or Tom Clancy. Otherwise, there's nothing in it for them. That's even moreso if you've self-published your book. That's worse than having halitosis AND pimples.

Today, I drove to a small neighboring town just 8 miles from here to check out a small Christian book store. The minute I stepped into the store, I realized it wasn't a possibility. There was barely enough open floor space for a person to stand. As I looked around the store, I could see how disorderly their book section was, and how the gift section had taken over most of the space. The book section was definitely not inviting. I could easily have just turned around and walked out. Nothing there for me, and the owner was talking to a customer. But I thought, "I might as well be friendly to the woman and tell her why I'd come in the store, even though I dodn't see any likelihood of being able to do a book signing.

When the woman was finished talking to the customer she asked if she could help me, and I showed her my book. I told her that I was just becoming aquainted with the bookstores in the area, but it didn't like there would be any space to do a book signing or music in her store. Much to my surprise, she was very enthusiastic. And then she poured out her story. She was behind on her rent for the store, had three children she was raising as a single mother, and her husband wasn't paying the alimony the court ordered. She didn't have the money to hire a lawyer, so she was struggling to keep going on her own. She works six days a week in the bookstore, and when it closes she works as a waitress at her landlord's restaurant trying to keep him from closing her store because she's behind on her rent. She is looking for any way that she can attract people to the store, and was excited about having me do a book signing and live music. Stephen King and Tom Clancy hadn't walked through her do, so I was the best of what was left. I left a book with her, some promotinal material and a flier I did for the book signing I'm doing next weekend, and she made it clear she wanted me to do a book signing as soon as she could set it up to try to bring some money in. Anyone who is counting on the money I can generate is in desperate straits. Forget Dire. I told her I'd be very happy to do it and would do a flier for her, and send fliers out to all the area churches because as she said, she doesn't have any money to publicize the book signing. I felt really good about the whole thing. Sometimes just wanting to help, no matter how small that help may be can mean everything to someone who is just trying to hold on.

That's good to remember

Jerry