She has been called on to speak at multiple Opportunity events, so we knew we were in for a treat.

Dale began, “we’ve talked about stories a lot. What I have learned as I look at my own life is that what I so often lack is perspective. Sometimes to me the threads of my life seem random. Sometimes they even look like lint. And later I will look back and realize that was the color that was meant to be woven into my life, to give it interest and to create a pattern.

“When I tell stories about myself, it’s not because I am fascinated by myself. But I am fascinated at how God works. For me, most of my stories are some version of ‘once I was blind, but now I can see.’”

Dale tells of a time when a statistic became a story, and the story moved her to take action. A long-term supporter of Opportunity International, Dale joined Opportunity Regional Director Carrie Slease  in Washington was in D.C. for a meeting with an Opportunity International staff member from Uganda. Ribena, who was working with victims of AIDS, began to talk about the people who were both living with and also dying from HIV/AIDS. When they began to share their experiences with one another, Dale realized that she was talking to a woman who had not just statistics to share, but stories.

Her eyes were opened to the stories of those around her. She didn’t see statistics, she saw people. And the people made her want to do something.

Dale went on to make a difference in the world, championing the fight against HIV/AIDS. Dale found her second calling.

She finishes with a blessing on the conference attendees.

“May God bless you with enough foolishness to think that you can make a difference in this world,” she concludes. This Franciscan prayer sums up her own journey, and will bless us on ours.

Dale’s new book, Embracing Your Second Calling, will be released soon. You can reserve an advance copy here.