GOD-INCIDENCES 101
I promised that I would return to share some of the more recent
God-incidences with you in a few days........
Well, okay, it's been a little more than a few days but life kind of got in the way.
Do you know what I mean? Our best laid plans and then.....
I've always said that there's our time, there's hospital time, and then there's God's time -
and very seldom do they ever match up.
We seem to find God-incidences in so many places since Roch passed away.
I'd like to share with you two that deeply touched my heart this summer.....
The first was as our youngest, Michelle, attended her freshman orientation and registration at the UofM in late June. For the parents, this is a one day event and the students stay overnight and finish out on the second day. Many of you have been through this process before and know that although it's a very exciting time for the students, it can also cause some anxiety for them as they don't quite know what they are getting themselves into!! We were separated from our students early on in the day so by mid-afternoon I texted Michelle to see how it was going. She was having a wonderful day, had met so many nice people, was having a great time, etc. It eased some of my own tension to know that she was adapting so well with her new friends. She ended with, "And I met a really nice guy". Well, that explained it.....Everything is better when you meet a nice guy ;)
As we met up at the end of the afternoon to catch up and say our goodbyes, she told me how her and this young man had been paired up during one of their ice breaker activities. Not knowing quite what to say to break the silence, Michelle commented that he was really tan. He replied that he had spent a lot of time outside as he had just won 3rd in state for boys' tennis. Well, if you recall, Michelle was girls' tennis captain so they immediately had something in common and the ice was broken.
Later that evening, I received another text from Michelle. The students had gathered to watch the all important "What goes on in college" play.... the one that highlights such things as alcohol, drugs, depression, etc, how to cope with peer pressure and where to seek help. When they returned to their small groups, this young man stated that he could really relate to some of the parts of the play because he'd lost his dad to cancer while in high school. Oh, my goodness. I think we both had goosebumps and there is no doubt in my mind that Roch was watching over her and sent this young man to walk with her and help ease some of her anxiety for the day.
God-incident #2 in a round about way also worked around Michelle's transition out of high school. If you remember, last November the 4th Degree Knights of Columbus donated a chalice to a young seminarian from Uganda, Deacon Joseph Kavuma. It was such a emotional evening for our family. I was hoping to arrange a time that he might be able to meet more of the extended Hannasch family before returning to Uganda on July 30th so I contacted Deacon Joseph to see if he'd like to come to Michelle's high school graduation open house. He unfortunately had traveled to Boys' Town (well, not unforunate for Boys' Town) to volunteer his time until he returned to Uganda. He would be back in Minneapolis for only four days before his departure. He asked if he could meet with us on the evening of July 27th. Oh my goodness, my heart just caught in my throat. You see, this discussion was in early June and we had anytime from then until July 30th to meet and he unknowingly chose July 27th - our wedding anniversary! It was going to be a crazy weekend with Michelle in softball tournaments but there was no way I was turning down that request!!
He did indeed come out for supper on July 27th. We had a wonderful evening filled with lots of laughter and good memories as we shared pictures and stories of Roch with him and he shared stories of his family and home life with us. Deacon Joseph was scheduled to fly back to Uganda on July 30th and would be ordained on August 9th - Kyle's birthday!! As he left that evening, I learned that not only was he visiting us on our anniversary but he was born the same year we got married. There is no doubt in my mind that Deacon Joseph - now Father Joseph - was meant to be the seminarian that received the chalice in Roch's honor. He is truly a special young man and we look forward to staying in contact with him always.
So such is life at our house......
Today we celebrate the 25th birthday of our little angel, Amanda, who for the second time gets to celebrate her birthday with her daddy in heaven. Another life cut short that we never understood
but who's Divine purpose was revealed to us at just the right moment during Roch's illness.
Because just when we think it's an ordinary day (our time) an extraordinary event happens to awaken us anew to the glories of God (God's time).
I'd like to leave you with this simple prayer.....
That even though there are some days we
may have to look harder than others,
may we all continue to see the extraordinary
in the ordinary each and every day!!
Blessings to you all during these beautiful summer days!!
