Introduction, Body, Conclusion

A new world opened up to me when we learned how to master the Five-Paragraph Essay in school.  Introduction, body, conclusion . . . a neat and concise essay.  Every word relating and playing a part in the main idea.  It was wrapped up in a bow, as my English teacher used to describe it.
I like journeys in life to be like a five-paragraph essay--Introduction, Body, and a neat Conclusion tying it all together.  It doesn't happen often, but when it does, I consider it a gift from God wrapped up in a bow.  I've received two of these gifts in the past couple weeks.

As I mentioned, we met some new friends, Joleen and her family, when we were in Rochester.  It hadn't worked to get together on our other trips, but this time we were finally going to meet.  I didn't remember Joleen's background.  I thought she was from South Dakota, but I couldn't remember for sure.  All I knew is that we seemed to be on the same wavelength in our Facebook group, so I wasn't apprehensive at all about meeting in person.  (Normally I would be, but somehow I wasn't.)  Well, we probably had been at their house ten minutes and having a conversation like we knew each other forever, when it came up that I am from Eureka.  (Remember how I told you EVERYONE knows someone from Eureka??  Just wait--this is even better.)
Joleen then proceeded to ask if I knew Rachel S.  My best friend Rachel.  Who my Rachel Olivia is named after.  One of the first people I called when our Rachel was diagnosed with craniosynostosis.
Rachel and Joleen were friends in college.  Can you believe that?  Can you believe how God connects us all??
Still, the essay didn't reveal itself as concluded just yet.  That came the next day when the plastic surgeon's nurse handed us two photos of Rachel--6 months old in July 1012 and 2 years old in May 2014.
There it was.
Our journey in front of me, at least the introduction and conclusion.
God had included so many caring people who reached out and helped us at just the right times in the body of our journey.
When we were still in the introduction, my mom gave me a magnet that said, "When seeking God's loving grace, miracles manifest between a rock and a hard place."
God had concluded the miracles of the journey with one beautiful bow.

I experienced yet another five-paragraph essay just this past weekend in Minneapolis.  The last time we were in Minneapolis was three years ago for our 10th Anniversary.  It was a time of some uncertainties, not to mention a threatened miscarriage.  I had been cleared to live a normal life, so we still went on our trip and spent our long weekend walking all over downtown.  On the way out of the Twins game, we bought a baby Twins shirt that we used upon our return to announce to our big 3 that they would be having a new sibling.  Despite what was happening, it still remains one of my favorite trips we have taken as a couple.
We attended Sunday mass at St. Olaf, which is a Catholic parish in downtown Minneapolis.  The music was especially beautiful that day in 2011, since it was Pentecost.  My prayer at that time was, "God I don't know how you are going to figure this all out, but show me how You are going to do it."
This past weekend, we marched our family of six into St. Olaf, and as God would have it, once again on Pentecost. As we were there that hour, I saw how God had taken each of those situations that was causing anxiety three years ago.  He really did answer that prayer, most impressively with our fourth child with us.
I never could have seen how He would untie those knots at the time, but He did.  And it was finished with a beautiful bow once again.

I heard once that FAITH says, "God I know You are up there."  TRUST says, "I know you've got this."  The faith part comes pretty easily to me.  It's the trust that I still continue to work on.

Be on the lookout for your own five-paragraph essays in life.  If you're in an introduction right now, take heart.

In all the twists and turns and knots, He's got this.