Coincidence.....

Last Monday morning I put my daughter on a bus to camp for the week. As I watched her disappear as she stepped through the door, my stomach sank into a deep pit of worry. Although she was going with other kids from her church, she knew nobody. None of her friends or group members from her confirmation group were going. She had wanted this. She had looked forward to this. However my "mommy heart" couldn't help but worry about her feeling alone or isolated. It was obvious that the majority of the kids attending had friends with them.

A very long week followed. There was no contact unless there was an emergency so I had to leave it to God that she was going to be okay. Sometimes I'm not very good at that though. I had many moments where I couldn't stop envisioning her feeling alone, isolated, or homesick. My younger daughter reassured me by reminding me that "she always makes friends at the McDonald's play land", but my oldest is not five anymore. She's in junior high now, those years that run rampant with insecurities, cliques, and cruelness. You know those days...the ones most adults are glad are far behind them....days that not even a christian camp could be immune from.

Friday afternoon, my oldest bounded off the bus, ran towards us, and swept her little sister into a bear hug. When she put her down, she proceeded to tell us, and tell us, and tell us about the AWESOME week she had.

The best part began just after bus pulled out of the church parking lot on Monday morning. The girl sitting in front of my oldest broke out in tears. She didn't know anybody either. My oldest said she found the courage to move up a seat and introduce herself. It turned out she knew the girl - they attend the same school. My daughter had remembered this girl singing in the talent show this past spring. The counselors adjusted the room assignments so the two girls could be together. So not only did my daughter make a friend for the week...but they will soon be seeing each other again come fall.

Was it a coincidence that they ended up just a seat a part on the bus? Was it a coincidence that the girls happened to go to the same school?

I prefer to think not.