--Sometimes we wonder about, 'Mysterious Ways'/ or 'More than Coincidence?'

<http://www.memes.com/searchresults/no%20coincidence/405544>

--MORE THAN COINCIDENCE ~~

--AT least the Walmart felt familiar. Nothing else around Sonoma County, California, did. I walked through the store aisles with my husband, Doug, looking up from my shopping list every so often half-hoping to see someone I knew. But all our friends and family were far away. I sighed and shoved the list into Doug's hands.

"You get what we need," I said. "I'm going to look for a book."

I wanted something comforting, inspirational, like the novels written by my favorite author, Francine Rivers. I missed our church library back in Santa Cruz, where I had been in charge of ordering the latest best-sellers.

Doug and I had put our home of 28 years on the market less than three months before, thinking we had plenty of time to find the place of our dreams in the San Francisco Bay area while Doug started his new job. But our house sold in just days, escrow moved swiftly, and then prices skyrocketed. There was little we could afford in the neighborhoods where we wanted to be. Now we were living in a short-term rental with all the warmth and charm of a storage locker.

I went to the book section and searched the shelves. Not one book by Francine Rivers, or anything else I was interested in.

I rejoined Doug and we headed to the check-out. Maybe the cashier knew of a bookstore or something. She shook her head while she scanned. Beep. Beep. Beep. I was out of luck.

I reached back into the cart to get the last of our items. I glanced behind us. A woman holding a turtleneck sweater...She looked familiar. Did I know her from somewhere? Somewhere close to home, our old home in Santa Cruz?

Then it hit me. "Excuse me," I said. "Are you Francine Rivers?"

She smiled.
-"Yes, I am."

I blurted out what I had been going through. How I'd been looking for one of her books to lift my spirits.

"I'll pray for you," Francine promised. Here's my personal e-mail address. Keep in touch, let me know what happens."

Somehow, I already knew Doug and I would end up finding the right place. ~~

--Guideposts/Sandi Olson -((March 2016)

"Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight." -(Proverbs 3:5) ~