It Just So Happens ...

It just so happens that ... just as Southwest Ohio thought our snow was finally beginning to melt, we are receiving another wallop dose of snowfall. This is what I see out the window right now as I type:

These poor Mourning Doves are getting covered in the matter of one hour or so …

It also just so happens that about three years ago, I heard a retired pastor speak, and his words have had a lasting impression on me. He is known for repeating a particular saying: “In God’s world, nothing just so happens …”

It’s an interesting perspective to think about, I believe. Because if that statement is true, then the chance encounters and other happenings we frequently attribute to luck all have a similar explanation.

The many little things that just so happen … also bring me much joy, like today’s snowfall that helps me hibernate in my writing chair and get closer to finishing my novel, and the encounter with an old friend in the frozen foods aisle at the store. Some of my Just So Happens … happenings involve something bigger, more coincidental, that can’t help but grab my attention. For example, last year, I just so happened to sit beside one of our son’s friend’s mom, and after a while of sharing what we do, by the next week, she happened to help connect me to an opportunity to model for Frontgate. (In case you’re interested in seeing for yourself, click here to see one of the catalog images online--I'm the dark-haired model in the smaller photo below the blonde. Click to toggle.)

Chances are that once we’ve written the “Just so happens …” down, it loses some of its mystery and magic. Something deeply meaningful to me personally is difficult to convey with words on paper (or on the computer screen). But when I go back and think, I realize its meaning again.

There is nothing more exciting to me than to witness the moving hand of God in our world. “Just so happens …” just so happens to be one of those great ways of discovering the deeper wonder of life.

It just so happens for me that I’ve had the chance to work on my second novel during the dumping of snow we had last week. Also, it just so happens that I have a wonderfully romantic husband who has planned a Valentine’s getaway for us to New York City. That weekend also just so happens to be New York Fashion Week. Again, hard to convey in writing, but for me to be able to experience firsthand the action of Fashion Week would be like winning the world’s largest lottery. Strange, maybe, but for me, the runway holds a deep part of my heart. So, as I work on hopefully obtaining a pass to a fashion show or two, I’ll be watching for how things unfold and plan to share with you my “It Just So Happens …”

Please leave a comment below—I’d love to hear your experience with “It Just So Happens …”