We never know….

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The older I get, the more I realize that there are very few, if any, coincidences in our lives.  This is the way God works. I think back to when one of my brothers was dying of cancer and I came back to Iowa from California to visit him. Not until I arrived did I realize that I would care for him the last week of his life and be present as he journeyed to heaven.   God gifted me with this deeply moving and holy experience while also helping my brother.

I watched “The Blind Side” last evening with a friend and was moved once again by this powerful story when a black homeless teenager and a white wealthy family transform each others’ lives. I don’t know if any of these people had faith in God but they certainly allowed themselves to change and be changed. It was no accident that these people came together.

Our lives are not ours alone. We have been given certain strengths and abilities in order to share what’s best about ourselves with others. Often we do not know how we change people’s lives.

As you look back on your life, were there times that seemed serendipitous or magical? Are you an instrument of God in the lives of those around you? Are others an instrument in your life?
Laura Goedken, OP
Davenport, Iowa

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