Coincidence or Destiny?

My dear friend Nina sent me an email this morning with the above title. I don't believe in coincidence, do you?

Oh my gosh! I SO believe this, that God has us where he wants us, even though we may not realize it at the time. I know it must happen to you, I know it happens to me all the time. (all the time).

Just Sunday I was annoyed because while leaving a class in Portland (with the Amazing Sally Jean)! (More on that later)... Anyway, when leaving (her studio is in the Pearl District, and is awesome) I turned the wrong way and didn't know where I was going (I can hear you saying hmmm, big surprise here). I ended up in the middle of a beautiful park I'd never seen before. It turns out it is Washington Park, and even though we've lived in Oregon for 7 years, I'd never been there.

The roads were winding, and every turn I took was the "wrong" one. The speed limit was a measly 15 mph. I was suddenly no longer annoyed, but thankful for the beauty I was seeing. I saw people sitting on the grass enjoying the sunny day. There were people on bikes, flowers blooming, and each turn brought something more beautiful. I found myself wondering about the lives of the people I saw enjoying the day. I saw a young woman under a tree reading a book. I knew how utterly happy she was to be there, and maybe she doesn't have a yard to relax in, but here she was in all of her glory! It has been rainy for a long time (which I love but I loved this more).

I saw people holding hands and strolling along, and people admiring the beauty of nature, by pointing out trees and flowers and paths to each other. I saw many (many) people driving in cars with the tops down. I don't think I've ever seen so many convertibles in one area before. I saw young men who had taken their shirts off, and were just enjoying the day. Funny, I didn't see many people at play. They were all happy though. They were peaceful and grateful and looked so relaxed and even smiley. This park went on forever.

During this unexpected drive, I found that even though I was in my car, I was "strolling" too. It made me feel so good to see so many happy people, and I prayed for each one of them as I drove through the winding roads of the park.

Finally, I started following a car in which was occupied by a guy who "looked like he knew where he was going." (What makes us think such a thing? That's very silly). Anyway, I was able to finally find my way out, and made it to the freeway. When I took my final exit toward home, I saw flares lining the exit. Just ahead was a 4 car accident. It appeared to be 4 different young woman drivers, and the police weren't even there yet. They were outside their cars and talking, so they were "okay" (as okay as you can be after an accident). I prayed right there for all of them. I also gave thanks to God, for if I hadn't gotten "lost" in that beautiful park, I could have well been involved in this accident.

I hope sometime that you'll enjoy getting "lost" and being delayed and don't worry about every little "annoyance" because it may be a blessing in disguise. (Many of my blessings are disguised initially... probably because I am so inquisitive and I worry, and probably because I am me). Just like us, or some of our children, not all of God's children are "the easy ones."

I wanted to attach the link here, but I can't seem to make it work. Let me know if you want to see it in email form and I'll forward it to you.