Shalom is a wonderful word. A young nun taught a lesson about the depth and meaning of the word “shalom“ to one of my elementary school religion classes. Shalom isn’t just a greeting to say hello or goodbye, it’s a blessing to wish the other person inner peace, peace from conflict, completeness, health and wellness in everything. Her lesson stuck with me and I have treasured that word my whole life. What a wonderful word!

It’s funny how God plants seeds when we’re young in order to reap a harvest later in our lives. Around late 2016, when attending morning Mass, I began to notice a minivan appearing in the parking lot with the word “Shalom” on it. It immediately piqued my attention and curiosity. Shortly after, flyers began to show up in and around the vestibule of my church with the same word and it appeared to be a logo for a television channel. “What a wonderful name to choose for a media initiative!”

I thought each time I saw the van or signs. Curiosity is frequently the seed for things to grow in my life.

A few weeks later, I noticed a gentleman would sit in the same vicinity during morning Mass. We began to greet each other casually at first and then from time to time we’d speak lengthier after Mass. He introduced himself, Joseph, and explained that he was part of the Shalom Media team. God was beginning to till the soil. A number of conversations later, I shared my interest in writing and how I would like to share some of my encounters with God with others someday.

Now, it was Joseph’s turn to be curious. He asked me to write about such encounters and explained to me that Shalom Media also had a magazine, Shalom Tidings, that might be interested in what I had to share.

I wrote my first story and handed him a hard copy to submit. He passed it on and I didn’t hear anything from Shalom Media in regards to if it was an acceptable story. I assumed it was not what they were looking for. However, about 2 years later I received a call from the Senior Sub Editor saying the article had been selected for the upcoming issue and asked if I was still okay to publish it. (“When God Spoke to Me”, March/ April 2019 issue) Thoroughly humbled and delighted, I agreed. The seed had come to harvest and I have been writing about my encounters with God and sharing them through Shalom Tidings magazine since then.

The experiences of God’s love are genuinely expressed in the articles I write for Shalom Tidings because the world could always use a little more of God’s love. He has been very generous to me with it and it is my responsibility to share this love with His children all over the world. Shalom Tidings magazine is a beautiful quality publication filled with inspirational stories that allows its readers to get to know Him, love Him and ultimately serve Him. Through knowing, loving and serving Him, we receive the blessing of shalom. I like being a part of that and I hope to pass that blessing onto others. “Shalom”....may it be well with you.