The Phenomenal

January 21, 2024

Things may look bleak or troublesome. Possibly, we are fighting wars inside ourselves. Maybe we have been excluded or unloved or do not know how to continue. Perhaps we are stagnant and need inspiration. Possibly, we are concerned about our health or the health of someone we love. Or it could be that we are at a crossroads and don't know how to go. Then, a phenomenal thing happens — someone walks into our life and brings exactly what we need.

How does the universe know that we need that specific person? Is their entrance into our lives purely a coincidence, or is there a Divine plan that we are unaware of?

My mother was English, and all her family lived in the United Kingdom. I had the good fortune of spending summers in England with my mom and brother. Imagine meeting your grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins for the first time at age nine! We acclimated to the new country, and by the end of our three-month stay, my brother and I had budding English accents.

My English grandparents had died by the time I had kids of my own. Several of my aunts and uncles had also passed away. So, the English family I knew as a child was fading away. But in my thirties, Lark and I went to England with some dear friends. Beforehand, I phoned my English cousin David, with whom I had shared beautiful times when we were kids. We hadn't seen each other since I was fifteen years old.

David and his lovely wife Kate met Lark and me in London, and in one evening, I had reunited with my English family. David and Kate, as well as their children Clare and James, became part of our family, and we, theirs. Since then, we have shared many times at their home in England, and they have spent time with us in the USA.

David and Kate have taught me many things I would have never known but for their immense fund of knowledge about many, many things, not the least of which is the history of my mother's country. They have generously taken us to many places in England and Europe that have been more than inspiring. But the connection is basically in the sharing of life experiences. It satisfies my soul and connects me to the hearts of precious people from whom half of my DNA is shared and who would have been my "close cousins" had I grown up there.

I have always felt an affinity for England; when there, I feel very at home. It's like my unlived life is that of an Englishman. But with David and Kate, my soul feels that my unlived life is expressed.

Inquiry: Who has phenomenally entered your life and granted a special meaning to your soul?

Dear God.

You have blessed me with family, who, beyond all my imaginings, have loved me and allowed me to love them. I am truly grateful. Amen

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