On Coincidences


“Life changes fast.
Life changes in the instant.
You sit down to dinner and life as you know it ends.
The question of self-pity."

Those were Didion’s opening lines in The Year of Magical Thinking and the first words she wrote after the death of her husband John. 


Friends, one thing I’ve learnt since my surgeries and J’s passing is that there are no coincidences in God’s universe. 

Last afternoon I received a call at work from s deliveryman that a package from Amazon had arrived at my home. The call gave me nothing but dread - did J order a book last month, what was it....and why J, why. But it was such a busy day I forgot all about the parcel when I got home late that night. I hadn’t also realised it was actually my first night home alone (my lovely sister had been staying over), so I didn’t have any expectations. But I did think to myself just before bedtime that i would go dig up and reread Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking. It would be comforting and I do enjoy her writing. Of course this prompted me to open the Amazon parcel and when I did, it was there — a brand new copy of the book! 

Thank you M for sending me this book as a gift - and thank you God.

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