“Life Circumstances!”
Having Ray’s book* released to the world triggered many thoughts, not the least of which is how one’s life journey can change directions in ways that could never have been predicted, simply as a result of specific circumstances.
If I had not failed my pre-career medical, I would have never met the girl that I married.
If I had never married that girl, I would have never come to Canada because it was her aunt that sold us on the idea and eventually sponsored us.
Many years later, if I had never been put on a special project by my employer, I would have never met Carol.
If I had never met Carol, it would have been virtually guaranteed that I would have never contemplated letting a dog into my life.
If I had never let Ray into my life, I would have never written the book about him!
If somebody told me in 2008 that, in 5 years, I would be living with an almost 80 pounds dog who had been abandoned and carried significant emotional baggage as a result, I would have grinned and responded “Yeh……….. right!”
If that same person told me that I would do pretty much anything for that dog, I would start to wonder what they had been drinking.
If they then told me that I would write, and publish, a book* covering the trials and tribulations of his first 18 months with us, I would be convinced that they were totally delusional.
Circumstances! Aren’t they wonderful? They can just happen, and our life takes on a completely new direction.
Circumstances! Provide us with incentives to step out of our comfort zones.
Circumstances! Offer us challenges from which we can expand our horizons and generally grow.
Perhaps we should all reflect on the circumstances that brought us to our current “place” and celebrate because, regardless of the positives and negatives of the various life-changing circumstances, they did happen and they did make us who we are today. As for tomorrow? There will hopefully be more circumstances.
* “Who Said I was up for Adoption?” is available direct from the Friesen Press Bookstore
A New Direction Perhaps? 
It is amazing the way life’s twists and turns lead us to things we would never have imagined! Had never dreamed of ever meeting some crazy Canadians before I started blogging. And then …. ! 😉
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That must have been a surprise. Who were they? We might know them. 🙂
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😂 Hmmm….they are a little hard to explain. Quite unique, quite friendly but be wary, they are quite mischievous too! 😉
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Understood. It’s a by-product of the climate eh!
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Yeah, that must be it! LOL!
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Life is full of surprises 😂
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Hi Willow. Can you imagine how boring it would be if otherwise? 🙂
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Yes indeed we need to live life and take every chance we get by the throat.
https://willowdot21.wordpress.com/2022/04/23/a-poem-for-bobs-passing/
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Very sorry to hear about Bob. Take what comfort you can from the happy memories Willow, as that is surely what he would want.
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Yes indeed, we were so lucky to meet up twice before he died 💜💜
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Call them coincidences, circumstances, God-winks–whatever. They are for real and looking back on them is fascinating. I sooooo enjoyed this post, Hon.
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Reflecting back, from the perspective that life is a journey, produces some really interesting “diversions” doesn’t it?
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Isn’t serendipity grand? 😍
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Hi Monika. Grand it certainly is! 🙂
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We continue to marvel about it as well and feel so fortunate to have ‘met’ such fascinating people like yourself and Ray.
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🙂
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I often think back and reflect on how one thing led to the next. Very often, rather unpleasant incidents were the starting point for amazing developments. That is the reason, why I have been looking behind the appearance of an unpleasant happening, already expecting the blessing behind.
When we started planning our house, we got stuck because the ground was still in the possession of my husband’s greater family. We already had the plans for the house but kept waiting for months. During that time it happened that my husband was asked to live in the States for a while to launch a project for his company… a dream come true. Only because of the delay regarding the transfer of the ground we had not started building the house yet and could just leave for the States. Otherwise, we would not have gone. Life is amazing!
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Hi Erika. When you look at circumstances like that, it really does make one marvel at life in general …. and also at our resilience as a species. If you had not gone to the States, you would now be in a totally different space and probably still reflecting back on what brought you there! 🙂
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Yes, absolutely! A lot of things again developed from that year in the States. We have this amazing journey, and each step takes us to new territories. Thank you for the inspiration, Colin 😊
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🙂
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Well said Colin.
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Thank you Michael. Without Ray I may never have started Blogging. Without Blogging about Ray, would we have ever “met”??? 🙂
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Very true. Yours was one of the first blogs I began following, if not the first, when I began my Golden Kali blog almost 8 years ago. It was, and remains, very comforting and encouraging to know your journey with Ray and mine with Kali, ran similar paths and experiences. So if not for your wife’s aunt, and Carol, and etc. we would not have met. Circumstances I will always appreciate and value!
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I was talking with Ray the other evening. I got down on the floor with him and we exchanged eye contact while I softly talked, and he just listened. He eventually touched his nose to mine. You and Kali immediately came to mind, as did an earlier Post (linked below) which you may remember:
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Thank you Colin for thinking of me and my precious Kali. It is so gratifying to know that my Kali is still alive with others as she will always be with me.
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🙂
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Life’s path is very convoluted. Sometimes I wish I had skipped a part but it was integral to where I am now.
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Hi Kate. I am sure that we have all had episodes which (in hindsight) should have been avoided but, and as you note, they were integral to where we each are today. 🙂
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