November 17, 2017 - this was the day I had original planned to open the boutique. My mom, Donna, and I attended the September Total Home & Gift Show at the Dallas World Trade Center and I told all the vendors I would be opening that Friday before Thanksgiving. I wanted a week under my belt before the biggest shopping day of the year, Black Friday. Well as some know, starting renovations/construction does not always follow your timetable. As we closed the final agreement on the lease, we then submitted permits to obtain from the City of Amarillo to begin renovations - my timetable was soon closing in on November 17th and I was beginning to wonder if this date I so wanted, would be.
As we waited for permits, the days kept going by, I was beginning to plan for my next market in Dallas, the Apparel Market at the end of October, I soon wondered if we could meet my expected open date. After talking to the contractors it was decided that it would not be possible to meet this original date of November 17. I was bummed :( I wanted to be open in time for the holiday shoppers and now it was looking like December or possible January.
I returned from market the end of October and soon figured out even the December timetable was probably looking more like a January open. Bummer - now an even later date to open. All this extra time before I open, how frustrating. Now you may wonder, this blog is solely about November 17, why would I write such a boring blog. HAHAHA Well that day will forever hold a special place in my heart - why? You see that day was the final day for my Aunt Linda to be on this earth. She was battling Stage 4 cancer for a few years and the week leading up to November 17 would be her last. We received word that morning, that she was unresponsive and was being rushed to the hospital...many hours later, we said our final goodbyes. It was not how I had planned November 17th at all. However, as I ponder that day now, I see God's hand was at work in my life, my mother's life, and my aunt's life. He was answering a prayer I had prayed for Linda since she was diagnosis - "Heal her Lord, perform a miracle in her life and heal her"-- He did! He healed her so much He took her to Heaven! AMEN.
I am reminded daily when I think of her, how God's plans are bigger than mine and yes, opening before Thanksgiving would be ideal for a new boutique owner, opening days after saying goodbye to my aunt would be daunting. So he gave me rest, he gave me time to heal. Time I once was frustrated by, I now am more than ever thankful for.
Tomorrow as I open my boutique (January 22,2018), I yearn to see the look on my aunt's face, to have one more chat with her about fashion. However, I rejoice to know she is cancer free and he healed her! My aunt was a lover of fashion, as long as I remember. I would watch her go off to high school and college as a little girl and thought the world of her. I always had the best talks with her about fashion and the latest trends she followed. She is apart of this boutique, her strength through the fight of her life is one I will always admire, her love for her family is one I hope to never take for granted. The lesson I learned through all this was He does work all things out for good -- it can be hard to see in the middle, frustrating when things do not go your way -- but when you come out of it - it is well worth being on his timetable than your own.
Linda, I miss you terribly and know that you would have LOVED this boutique - I have no doubt you would have been my #1 online customer. I love you and will see you again - I will have much to tell you about!