Seeing God’s Plan on October 5

Do you see God’s hand in your life? When you meet a person that has an impact on your life, do you see the encounter as coincidence, or part a plan? When you are presented with a choice, or a fork in the road, do you wonder what His intent is for the choice in front of you? For me, October 5 is a flashing sign along my path.

In July of 2000 I was a broken woman trying to heal after a terrifying marriage and nearly losing my life. I had made a bad decision and paid dearly for it.

After being released from the hospital, I had taken a leave of absence from my teaching job. I was in no condition to teach. My emotions were shot, my health weakened, my children were taken from me to be under their father’s custody, and my home sat empty in utter ruin.

But the Lord didn’t give up on me. He put the right people in my path—friends, professional therapists, spiritual leaders, and family—who helped me put my life back together again.

After one and a half months, the leave of absence period was coming to an end. I received a letter from the school saying that if I didn’t return to work by October 5 they couldn’t hold my position at the school any longer. I’d need to seek a position elsewhere.

I felt strong enough to return to work, which I did on October 5, 2000.

Fast forward 13 years to 2013. For the past 1.5 years I’ve been working on a book to tell my story to others. “Creating an Extraordinary Marriage after Divorce,” chronicles my experiences and lessons from two failed marriages, and how after letting go and letting God, Charles and I met, fell in love, and set out with a commitment to create an extraordinary marriage (against all odds I must add). In September we knew the book was being printed, but didn’t know when exactly it would be available in the market. We received word that the book was released from the publisher to the market on October 5, 2013.

On October 5, 2000 I returned to work and my everyday life, after nearly losing everything. On October 5, 2013 my book about the experience went on sale.

A coincidence? I think not. I see God’s hand everywhere in my life.