My Leaf Moment
Towards the end of 2021, I went through an unexpected change that altered the future I had imagined for myself over the past 8 years, and ultimately how I would live moving forward. When you’re so focused on what you’re working toward that you fail to see what’s happening in the present, this type of change can knock you off your feet. The hardest part is navigating how to get back up.
As someone who usually takes charge in times of stress or pressure, this season of heartbreak and uncertainty was one that I didn’t have a plan for. The only way I knew how to react was to go to the one thing I knew could take my circumstance and use it for good. God knew exactly who and what I needed at the time to move my feet when I was unable to myself, and it turned out that everyone He surrounded me with to uplift me and remind me of the good to come had already been there waiting to embrace me. One of those people was my friend and boss.
I’m fortunate enough to work for a company where the people I interact with every day are not just coworkers, but friends and family. I went into the office that week knowing it would be difficult to hold it together, and every single person that I spoke to extended grace and showed me love in their own way. My boss did this by giving me a devotion book that I still take out of my desk and read when I need a moment of peace, along with a story that inspired me to start this blog.
He has always reminded me that God’s timing and will is better than our own, and his story of how he ended up in Charlotte, NC was proof of that. He and his wife were living in Europe at the time, and were told they had to make a swift and major decision on where they wanted to relocate next for her company. Their options were either Michigan with nearby family, or North Carolina where they had never even visited before. To find some clarity, he rode his bike over to the park and took a seat at the bench where he had spent so many other days reflecting on life that year. When he prayed for God’s guidance over the decision they had to make, an odd-shaped leaf dropped at his feet. For reasons he didn’t understand at the time, he picked up the leaf and put it in his pocket before he made his way back home. He Googled North Carolina when he got back and held up the leaf to the first image that popped up. Their shape was an exact match. They decided that night that they would be coming to live in Charlotte, and everything that’s happened since has been a result of them following God’s will for the path of their lives.
I get goosebumps every time I share that story with someone because of the small but significant way God showed him where he was meant to be. Over the past 7 months, I’ve learned to let go of where I thought I should be and accept where each day takes me. I’ve experienced a few leaf moments of my own because of it, and my hope is that this blog will encourage you to appreciate the little things and moments that could help you recognize yours.
–Chloë
