Pieces of the puzzle

When something crappy happens in your life that you don't understand and don't appreciate, chances are someone will say to you "everything happens for a reason". When they say it, you're usually in the middle of wallowing in self-pity and you don't necessarily want to hear it. But usually, there seems to be a grain of truth to it, and when time finally separates you from the crappy thing, and you can look back with some measure of objectivity, you discover that the crappy thing was somehow redeemed and there was reason or at least some value to it.

Last month I told you that Marcel didn't get into university for this coming year. Then, after we appealed to the University (and prayed about it), they changed their mind and let him in. So clearly it looked like it was meant to be. But then last week he went for his orientation session and discovered that his short daytime schedule and options for evening classes were over and he would now have to commit himself to full days EVERY day. This caused us some stress, because suddenly his time as a stay-at-home Dad with Maddie would be over and we'd have to find (and pay for) full time child care. With just over a month until he returns to school, we really didn't know how we'd manage to work it all out.

In the meantime, my old friend Kari responded to my attempts to track her down. She phoned last week, and I invited her and her kids for an afternoon of swimming, topped off with a barbecue in the back yard. She showed up today with her two little girls, and within moments, Maddie had fallen in love with her new friend (it doesn't take her long to fall in love, but this one was a record).

Turns out Kari is on maternity leave this year, having just given birth to her second child. And guess what - she's offered to care for Maddie in the afternoons for the upcoming year. She thinks it would be great for her daughter to have a friend around. Wow! Feels a little serendipitous. Now we just have to try to get Maddie into the preschool close to Kari's house, and the whole plan might fall into place.

The timing for the reunion with Kari seems almost eery. And in case you're wondering, yes, the years did fall away, and it was just like old times. It wasn't hard to remember why we were such good friends.

I leave you with a picture of true love. Hope they still feel this way when they spend every day together!