“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3:1‬ ‭

I’ve been thinking a lot about timing lately. I believe things happen at a particular time for a reason. It’s not all random. As much as we try to control time and therefore timing, it is just beyond our full control. Instead of waxing philosophical and over analyzing it all, I choose to be grateful. Thank you God for your orchestration over the events of my life — the good, the sad, the difficult. By your grace, the timing is perfect.

After eight months of searching for my next job, I had a flurry of interviews for two job possibilities. The first interviews for each were a week apart, but the second rounds were two weeks apart. As I feared, an offer came from the least desirable job first and I had to hold them off for a full week before I knew where I stood with the job that I most wanted. The timing wasn’t ideal, but it worked out in the end and I had enough information to make the best decision for my future when I needed to make it. The timing of interviews allowed me to spend time with my family in Florida in January and to help out with Emma for a few days in February. The start date for my new job allowed me to be with my husband’s family when his father passed away and attend my grandmother’s funeral.

As soon as I accepted a job offer, we started looking for a house to buy. There wasn’t much to choose from in the area where we were looking and it felt like we were going to open houses merely to rule them out. We were prepared to have to extend our apartment lease beyond the end of May. On my birthday, March 17th, we attended five open houses thinking we didn’t have a strong interest in any of them. But there was a condo that grabbed our attention and after I resigned to the fact that it was in a subdivision in a town that was last on my list, we decided to take a second look with our realtor. It checked off most of the boxes on our wish list, has beautiful features and it felt like a place we could call home. We put in an offer that night and it was accepted right away. We were able to do the initial paperwork and inspection in the week between Papa Smid’s passing and the funeral. This was also my first week of work, but Dick picked up the slack. We will close on house and move before our lease expires and we can comfortably give the required 60 day notice.

Beyond the timing of recent events, I can look back and see how the timing of our two year adventure in The Netherlands fit into a bigger timeline. I’m so glad we’ve had time with Kathryn during her last year of high school, time to watch Emma grow, time to be with Pop during in his last moments on this earth, time to say goodbye to Grandma Neivel and grieve with family I haven’t seen in decades, time to help Jenna find the perfect wedding dress and so much more.