Sometimes the best thing life can do for you is hand you validation. That is how I feel today.

A message this morning at church reminded me how important it is to be patient and to persevere. Rev. August Gold wove a broader message through a specific story about the stops and starts of getting her book published. It brought to mind a lesson I got earlier this year: You must believe in your book so fully that you know the agent who reps it will be very, very lucky. Not the other way around. A major distinction.

More validation later in the day. A decision I made this year that I occasionally still question. A big, fat sign this evening that it was the right thing to do. A deep sigh of relief for following through on something that has been at times excruciating. Good for me.

And then there’s the Tony Awards. One act, one award after another sending the message that stick-to-it-ive-ness pays off.

Thank you, Universe, for always being a step ahead.