Have you ever planned a major meal and browsed through your local grocery store only to find out that a major ingredient is missing? Have you ever felt the heartbreak of such a tragic event when your entire menu seems to crumble into pieces even if you have all the other ingredients for everything else? You simply want to give up your chef’s hat and walk away in defeat but then, something miraculous happens and you know that God is on the look out for the cookout - literally.
Let me tell you the story about my sister and a sprig of rosemary. So this past weekend, my sister planned this elaborate meal for a belated Thanksgiving family celebration. Being the good sister I am, I met up with her the day before to help her prepare for the occasion, including grocery shopping. While going up and down the aisles, we both gathered the necessary items that were on our list with ease until something absolutely horrifying stopped us in our tracks -
There.
was.
no.
rosemary.
We searched throughout the spice section in hopes to find any brand of rosemary but there was nada, nothing, zilch! I could see the anguish in my sister’s eyes and she told me that the chicken stock would not be the same without this key ingredient. After staring at the sparse section of seasonings, we eventually continued our shopping, a little more empty than we were when we arrived. There was a hole inside of us, especially my sister who was cooking the whole meal, that only that savory rosemary could fill.
To make ourselves feel somewhat better, we decided to put all the groceries away and go out to eat since cooking was out of the question at this point. Also, we love food a little too much. We went to a pretty fancy diner that really felt more like a cozy restaurant; and I immediately went towards the comfort food because the devastation was too much to bare without a warm dinner and a soothing drink. So my sister got her go-to dish - huevos rancheros. She was oddly in the mood for Mexican food. Hey, whatever makes you cope the best. For me, I got meatloaf, mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables.
Now, this is when the hand of God was at work. My plate of food came out first and was placed right in front of me. My sister immediately noticed something magnificent at the center of my mashed potatoes -
A
sprig.
of.
rosemary.
The way her eyes lit up, you would’ve thought she saw Mother Mary. Who knows? Perhaps, she had something to do with this incredible intervention from God. I mean really, what are the odds that a sprig of rosemary would be standing at attention in the middle of my mashed potatoes, like “Hey…you were looking for me”?
My sister quickly realized, more than ever before, the power of synchronicity and how awesome God can be during times of trouble. God can part the seas for a sprig of rosemary. God can put the thought in my head to get meatloaf (which I rarely get) in order to align everything just right for my sad sister. Her frown turned all the way up into a big smile and I turned into the best little sister ever by laughing at her excitement all the way home.
So let this story be a friendly reminder that when you are aligned with your purpose, God, the Universe, the All That Is, the Source will work with you to see it through, even if your purpose at the moment is cooking the best chicken stock that was hardly used.