What is a God thing?

It is when you make surprising connections that could only be achieved with God’s help.

I had one yesterday.

It’s Memorial Day Weekend and the first time celebrating the holiday with Kathie in heaven.

What should I do today?

The Bonanza Education Center in the Big Stone Lake State Park popped into my head.

I had been Bonanza’s Education Center’s coordinator for eight years and I hadn’t been there for some time.

The weather was beautiful.

So, I grabbed a chair, a book, sunscreen and headed for an adventure at the Big Stone Lake State Park!

Now the happenings that I describe may seem like coincidences to you but to me there were too many of them packed together in a short period of time. So, I’m pretty sure God had a hand in it.

When I arrived at the park I headed for the sandy, swimming beach and I discovered others were using the beach also.

Before I go any further, I need to tell you about my first best friend, Mike Lestina. He lived on a neighboring farm, and we had play dates where we played cowboys and Indians.

Our plan was to become cowboys when we grew up.

I fortunately came to my senses after discovering I wasn’t comfortable riding a horse.

We rode the school bus together for our first and second grade school years.

I remember us sitting together on the school bus and he would draw pictures of horses.

I tried to draw horses too, but my drawings looked more like a cross between a hippopotamus and a donkey! 🙁

Sadly, our friendship ended in the second grade when the Lestina family moved to Long Prairie, Minnesota.

Interestingly, we both went to college and became biology teachers. He taught in a North Fargo school while I taught in Wheaton and Herman.

Years later we met several times attending educational meetings, but our friendship never was as close as those first and second grade years.

Now back to the story.

I approached the swimming beach wondering who I was going to meet.

The group met me with smiles.

As far as I could discern there was a father, mother, a small child and a grandmother.

We spent a few minutes getting to know each other and when I mentioned I had been the Bonanza Coordinator the father seemed to clap for joy.

It turned out that he was presently the Bonanza Coordinator and he had been wanting to meet me. It seems there were some Mr. Mike stories still lingering among the oak, basswood and sumac of the park.

We had a nice chat.

When introductions were made, I met the grandmother who mentioned she lived in a central Minnesota town.

When I asked her what town that might be and she replied, “Long Prairie”.

Now do you sense where this is going?

I, then, mentioned to her that many years ago my best friend had moved to Long Prairie, and I told her the family name.

Her face lit up with a smile.

She proceeded to tell me when they moved to Long Prairie, they purchased a huge older home that was owned by the Lestina family.

Also, the grandmother was a Mrs. Larson and had a son named Mike!!

This is getting weird!

The grandmother mentioned that the Lestina house was next to MN Highway 27 in Long Prairie.

Now that was the last straw!!

Are these all coincidences?

Where is my house? Why it’s a couple miles west of Wheaton and guess what highway goes by my house?

The same highway that goes by the Lestina house in Long Prairie, Highway 27!!

So, let’s see, I accidently meet the new Bonanza coordinator, Grandma Larson (who has a son named Mike) bought the Lestina house in Long Prairie when they moved there many years ago. The same highway MN 27 runs next to the Long Prairie house as it does next to my house west of Wheaton.

I just need a little time to digest all that info.

As I made the drive back to my house that evening I was filled with a perfect peace.

To think that our almighty God would take time out of his busy schedule of controlling the universe to bombard me with these seemingly random coincidences.

Now that takes love. 🙂

Thanks God! 🙂

Until next time.