Sunday, December 8, 2013

Serendipity...

ser·en·dip·i·ty noun \ˌser-ən-ˈdi-pə-tē\
: luck that takes the form of finding valuable or pleasant things that are not looked for

I’ve often wondered about serendipity.  As a believer, is there such a thing serendipity or does one's faith take the place of serendipity?  When you see God at work in your life or in the lives of those around you how do you recognize it as God or is it luck?

I’m not quite sure how long ago it was that Steve and I went to Midland to celebrate one of my dearest friend’s, Debbie's BIG birthdays.  Her husband had thrown her a great party and her children were there along with many of my friends from my Midland life.  

While visiting with her son, who I knew from birth as Slammer aka Sam, I came to understand he was working in Florida.  As he described his living environment my ears perked.  I had heard the same scenario just days earlier from my good San Antonio friend, Susan. Her daughter was doing an internship somewhere in Florida (my geography has never been great) and she was miserable...the community was full of retirement people, elderly, snowbirds...no place for two young, darling twenty somethings.

While standing in the middle of this party talking to Slammer, who I still thought of as a 6 year old blond curlily haired kid bobbing around the swimming pool, I started making phone calls to see where Jessie was in comparison to Slammer/Sam.  Were they even in the same zip code?  It turns out they were, they lived about 20 minutes apart.  Incredible!  I described Jessie to Sam he was mildly excited (a guy thing), said he would definitely give her a call and I left wiping my hands feeling very puffed up and Barbra Streisandish singing “Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match…”

Well, it turns out Slammer took 6 weeks to call Jessie, but once he did, “It was magic!”  He finally asked Jessie to marry him last June, I thought I was going to strangle him for not doing it several years earlier...but, the timing is perfect!  The wedding is set for early March.  

So picture this two of my dearest friend’s children are getting married because of me!  Oh, how I’m eating this up.  I have said on several occasions that I need a throne in the middle of the isle at the ceremony.  Or, maybe simply be carried in on a Cleopatra type chair with half naked men holding my hair on their shoulders, okay maybe that’s going a little too far.

So, what we did do is throw a San Antonio Christmas party to honor this darling couple.  It was hosted by a group of our very special friends that have given all of our children showers and parties over the years.

 Jessie and Sam are precious together.  I am thrilled that they fell in love and have decided to make a life together, and I pray God’s richest blessings for this marriage.  I’m sure that they will name their first baby girl, Janet and they will live happily ever after.

 
Sam & Jessie, cute right!?!


So, do you call this act of their coming together serendipitous?  Was it serendipity that I had heard both of these conversations and paid enough attention to bring them together?  Or, was this a God thing?  

I choose to believe that God put me in a position to introduce this sweet couple, knowing that he had plans far above any of our expectations for them.  This is what I believe. This is really what Christmas is all about, isn’t it?  Believing in the impossible, the incredible, the amazing?

“Luck” that takes the form of finding something of value not looked for...I choose to call that faith.  What do you choose?  

I hope you are celebrating this Christmas season believing in the impossible, the incredible and the amazing.

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the [a]assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
The Hostesses minus Lou & Margi, Susan, Jessie's mom, is next to me

Debbie on the right and her sister, Cindy

Brooke & Samantha (Slammer's sister) childhood friends

my sweet daughter

my precious children