Serendipity

Some call it serendipity, some call it coincidence. But the pattern of events is just too exceptionally similar to be coincidental. I choose to believe that it is God choosing to remain anonymous...but then maybe not...maybe He is really showing His continued presence and delight in what we do.

I will always remember the look of amazement and delight in my daughter's eyes when she experienced snow for the first time. This tiny little 23 month old being who gazed up in awed silence while snowflakes were softly floating down around her. And the incredible joy I experienced while watching her. I believe that is how our Creator delights in us when we travel and enjoy this beautiful planet.

I am talking about the fact that, just before we left South Africa for our trip to the States, I developed a fascination for the works of dr Seuss. To the extent that I read some background articles about the author and about his children's books. I decided that although I didn't grow up with his books, I was going to introduce his works to my daughter when she was old enough and promptly bought her The Cat in The Hat.

Little did I know that just after New Year's Day, I would run into an art gallery on San Diego's Coronado Island that displayed a myriad of his original illustrations, sculptures and paintings, nor was I aware of the fact that he actually lived in La Jolla, San Diego. I met the curator, Rebecca, who shared endearing personal anecdotes about dr Seuss that gave me a deeper understanding of his life's work even more. It was as if I had been prepared for this experience so that I could really enjoy it when it happened.

The same happened when I chose to buy Jack Kerouac's book, "Lonesome Traveller" and John Steinbeck's "Travels with Charley" just before we started our road trip. What I did not know was that Jack Kerouac and the Beatniks frequented San Francisco to the extent that there's a Beatnik Museum close to Jack Kerouac Alley, next to an old bookstore that specializes in Beatnik and alternative publications. We ran into all of this while doing a walking tour through Little China in downtown San Francisco on 24 December.

On 22 December, we were crossing the Oregon stateline into California en route to the Redwood National Forest while listening to CD 6 of John Steinbeck's audiobook. What a surprise it was to find that this section of his book was about his own journey along the Oregon Coast into California's redwood forests more than 50 years before....on the very day that we were driving the very same route! Way too much coincidence to be random methinks. Yup....angels watching over us, for sure.