With 5 days left before Christmas and very few gifts bought, I’m posting an older blog post. That week-long trip to see family last week really put me behind.  But it was still nice to decorate and bake and put up the tree with my sister and brother-in-law. Plus we went to see a great presentation on The Star of Bethlehem at the planetarium and participated in Enid’s annual Candy Cane Cash event. Ha Fun times.

So here’s my blog from several years back:

For Christmas I received a beautiful quote I intend to frame. I wanted to share it:

“The same God that placed that star in a precise orbit millennia before it appeared over Bethlehem in celebration of the birth of the Babe has given at least equal attention to the placement of each of us in precise orbits so that we may, if we will, illuminate the landscape of our individual lives.”  Author — Neal A. Maxwell

Some call it synchronicity, karma, coincidence, kismet or a multitude of other words to describe how the world works. One thing I know for certain — the world does work. I have always believed that people come into my life for a reason. And I do not believe it is coincidence. Recently another close friend shared an astounding story with me – a story that most certainly supports my belief.

She has been ill for a few months and has missed a great deal of work; well over her allotted sick days. As her income fell to zero and her savings were eaten up with medical bills, someone she does not know particularly well came to her aid. He presented her with a check for an astounding amount of money to cover her upcoming procedures. She met this person through a mutual friend about a year ago. Their paths, most assuredly, would never have crossed. They do not work in the same profession and definitely don’t socialize in the same circles. But their mutual friend made an introduction that proved to be prophetic.

She has not cashed the check, and she may choose not to do so, but she was shocked that someone she barely knew had entered her life for a reason; someone loving and generous; someone who simply wants to help another human being. No hidden agenda, no care if it’s ever repaid — simply a gift at the right moment in place and time.

Look at the people who surround you, especially individuals you may have recently met. Consider whether you were placed here to help them, or if they were sent with a life lesson or a gift of love for you. In some of my darkest hours when someone has left my circle, I have forgotten to look back and appreciate the many gifts that person brought me during our time together. I’m trying to remember that God placed me in that spot for a very particular reason and that I need to appreciate even the painful memories.