when stopping by my favorite artist’s booth (kana handel), on the last day of the fair, to buy another of her beautiful creations, i shared with her a story of coincidence and connection, and to let her know that she was part of an equation that superseded the elements of both time and space. as i told her my tale, her face showed surprise, and her eyes opened wide at first, but soon her eyes softened and began to tear, and her look turned to a quiet smile of understanding.
i told her about my ex-husband, who i had met when i was just four years old, and i knew instantly when meeting him, (and told him), that i would one day marry him. he passed away on valentine’s day, 2 years past, while living in another state many miles away, and after years of no contact between us, and was a bittersweet experience.
it was a time filled with mixed emotions – sadness for what could have been, for all of the unrealized possibilities, and for things lost between himself and those he loved, now never to be resolved. soon after, one of my daughters flew there to help settle and organize his things, and to gain some measure of final closure. once she began this task, she surprised me with an wonderful discovery.
when cleaning off his desk, she found a business card that looked familiar, it was from an artist, whose work she had seen before, and she recognized it because she had seen her artwork on my walls and had seen the very same card on my desk here.
it seems that even though we had gone on to live very separate lives, and were many miles apart in every sense of the word, we still maintained a connection through the universe, unbeknownst to us. i was reminded of how we were first drawn to each other, and knew we were meant to meet for a wonderful reason – to create our legacy, our amazing daughters – once again proving that art and beauty transcend all.
Serendipity means a “happy accident” or “pleasant surprise”; specifically, the accident of finding something good or useful without looking for it. The word has been voted one of the ten English words hardest to translate in June 2004 by a British translation company.
I didn't have my glasses on.... 
Wow – very touching! I’m so glad you were able to share this experience with the artist.
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Thanks for sharing your story of serendipity with me Beth… This makes me wish I were there to give you a hug dear friend and hear even more details.
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Reblogged this on I didn't have my glasses on…. and commented:
in this, the month of january, i am reminded of my ex, the father of my children. this is the month when his birthday fell and when we fell away from each other as well. this post, also from the past, is dedicated to him.
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Thank you for sharing and hugs darling xx
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my pleasure, and thank you, jen )
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You are welcome, how lovely it would be to have a real hug and not a virtual one x
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Bittersweet discovery Beth. A sign of all you once shared in common and a link to what might have been. You write so lovingly of your family, it was indeed a wonderful legacy he helped create.
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yes, that’s a great way to sum it up, tric. and it was )
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Serendipity…a word I have heard but never used. It is such a beautiful word, I need to find events in my life that fit. 🙂
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yes i love the word too, and love when it happens.
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How wonderful that it was your daughter who made that connection. She paid attention to what she saw in you, and paid attention to what she saw at her father’s, and put the two together. What a beautiful feeling this gives.
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yes, and she was the common thread between us, unbroken
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You carry such a sensitive and nuanced connection with the universe, Beth. My heart and head expand while reading posts like this.
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thank you mark –
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This is a beautiful post…serendipity at its best. Thank you for sharing it. ❤
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you are very welcome, tracy. and thank you for reading it.
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I love this, thank you for sharing 2 years later and allowing us to discover it!
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you are very welcome )
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I’ve got goosebumps, and a small lump in my throat. What a touching story about the complicated cobweb of humanity.
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thank you, and that is a perfect way to put it.
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Thank you for sharing author us
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you are very welcome
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What a great story. It’s just amazing how we are connected
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thank you, and the connections are amazing, that is so true
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Such a beautiful story.
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thank you very much, michael. best, beth
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Your daughter must have felt good seeing this “connection” between her mother and father regardless of the distance and the past. As a child of a divorce, I imagine one hangs on to these signs that shine light on a difficult situation. Nice post. 🙂
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yes, she did. she was so excited when she told me about it.
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Such beautiful and touching words. Thank you for sharing such joy and heartache.
Sincerely
Benjamin
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thank you for reading them, benjamin.
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I love the word Serendipity, the movie by the same name with my all time favorite actor, John Cusack. and the true meaning of this wonderful expression. I am very nostalgic about life events and often I will see the marvelous way that we are all connected to each other by a few common threads. Thanks for sharing this post!
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you are very welcome and thanks for reading, michael. i love the word and its meaning too )
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For all the anguish involved with divorce, my first marriage also brought me five wonderful children, and for that reason I will always be grateful. If I had to do it again, I would, even knowing the eventual outcome, because of the goodness and happiness my children have brought into my life.
I’m glad that you, too, are able to recognize the blessing that you were given, even if it involved more than a little pain. A wonderful post.
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thank you so much, and i know you understand the importance of that )
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Indeed.
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How beautiful your post is!
If that is the artist’s work at the top, it reminds me of one of my favorite artists, Chagall.
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thank you so much, and indeed it is. here is a link to kana’s site if you’re ever interested in seeing more. i just love her whimsical style –
http://www.kanasarts.com/index2.html
(kana handel)
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WOW. I’m fumbling with words, so I will leave it at that: WOW. But if I think of what it is I would like to say … T
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no worries, i had kind of the same reaction when it happened. )
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powerful story
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thank you
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Amazing how life works, isn’t it? This was poignant…sad and yet calming.
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life is amazing, i agree and you summed it up very well –
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Yes, I was looking at comments and I found you via Card Castles In The Sky. So glad I followed my hunch. Maybe it was the talk of a cottage with bright colors…
Serendipity and I have been dancing for a while and so this piece really spoke to me.
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thank you so much for reading and following me. when writing, my hope is that things that i post may speak to someone and you have made that true for me today. best, beth
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You’re very welcome! You definitely reached your goal 🙂
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Thats a really touching story. It must have been really hard to part when he was part of your life for so long. I also have an ex. We don’t see each other much because we never had children but continue to meet up once in a while since we still share friends. Surprisingly, even though he disappointed both families with really bad behaviour, we still didn’t part enemies. Someday, one of us may be in the same position as you were and it’d be nice to have a moment like yours.
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thank you for your kind and thoughtful words. ) best, beth
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