I was reading my devotional this morning, and it talked about giving grateful praise to God for everything good we have received, and then I read Psalm 100. I could spend all day telling you about each blessing we have gotten from God, but something else came to my mind when reading my Bible. The people that have come to my life that I am grateful for. Two in particular were my season and my reason, and we’re waiting for the prospect of the lifetime one.

 

After I was done with my devotional, I googled ‘people come to your life for a reason’, and I found the whole quote. It begins saying: “People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you figure out which one it is, you will know what to do for each person…”. The source of this quote is unknown and I heard this quote a long time ago and wrote it down somewhere and it just stuck with me, but this morning I finally realize who were my reason, my season and my lifetime.

 

I realized a long time ago that when we meet someone or interact with someone, we were actually meant to cross our paths for a specific reason at some point or another. You learn from them, they show you something, they steer you in a different direction, they make you happy or sad or something, sometimes they leave you with something, something valuable or something you can’t wait to forget.

 

It was part of God’s plan to cross paths with them anyways, so it was all meant to happen.

 

My husband Richard was my season. The quote goes on saying “When some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of job. Believe it. It is real.”

 

Richard was my season for 8 years. We shared a lot together, we grew together and we learned so much together. Richard was the one who pushed me to fly as high as I could, who told me I needed to be independent and self-reliant in case he wasn’t able to be there for me anymore. How did he know one day I would have to be all that after he suddenly passed away? Richard gave me the most amazing job I would ever have, being a mom to his son. God knew very well that Richard was the way and the person to prepare me for what was about to happen.

 

I have said this so many times before, we all come with an expiration date. Richard’s date was too soon.

 

My ex-boyfriend Big Sam was my reason. The quote goes on saying “When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty; to provide you with guidance and support; to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They seem like a godsend, and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be there. “Then, without any wrongdoing on your part…the relationship will end.”

 

Big Sam came into my life 9 months after Richard had left. We had moved into this little transition house, away from my home with husband, away from the neighbors that had become my family. So it was just me, the kid and the dogs, and while I didn’t realize it, I needed help. Enter Big Sam. Big Sam helped me de-stress my bundle of stress. He helped be a better and more patient mom to the kid. He became the father figure my kid needed. He was there to help us out when I was t-boned, when my fur baby Zoe got sick and he was there when she had to leave us. He was just an amazing support when I needed one the most.

 

Big Sam helped us to leave the little house and move back home, a block away from my home with Richard. Then one day, as suddenly as Big Sam entered our lives, he suddenly left our lives. At the beginning, people told me God had sent him to us, and I completely believe that. Big Sam’s purpose and whole reason to be in our lives was to help us during that transition part of our lives in which we needed to put our feet on the ground after Richard and settle ourselves down to face whatever storm would come our way.

 

Whether Big Sam knows it or not, we had a need and God sent him to help us, and for that, we’re forever grateful to him.

 

It has been about a year and a half since we last heard from Big Sam. It hit the kid a lot worse than it hit me, but we have found solace and peace in our relationship with God, and also by learning to work together to help each other to make our life work. We have lost Richard, then Zoe, then Big Sam, then Nike, then the 2 fish. The kid and I have found that even when we have lost so much, we still have each other and we are so strong together with God by our side.

 

The quote finishes with this: “LIFETIME relationships teaches you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person, and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life”.

 

We don’t want to be by ourselves, so we have been praying for a man and two dogs to come and complete our tiny family. For the last couple Christmases, the kid has written letters to Santa Claus asking for a dad, and he told each Santa he got a picture with that God was taking too long and to please bring him a dad for Christmas. Sometimes my kid needs to hear more than thrice that we need to be patient, because God has a time for everything and everyone.

 

So we are waiting for the lifetime guy. There is someone who showed up in my radar on Christmas Eve. The man looks perfect on paper, he has checked every box on my list. The man travels a lot though so it’s forcing everything to go slow, which is actually perfect. At this point, what I have learned during the last 15 years is not to rush into anything but to sit, put it all in God’s hands and wait. So we sit and we wait.

 

This man seems like a good fit for us but we need to see how it all unfolds and if God really wants him to be part of our lives. I don’t want any more tears from the kid or even from me, so being patient and careful is a must and my priority before I let this man into my world. However, being afraid never got anybody anywhere, so I’ll just put one foot in front of the other and God will let me know if this man is the one who is meant to be my lifetime or not.

 

Besides Richard and Big Sam, there have been so many people that crossed my path at some point, and were put in my life for a reason or a season. They changed my direction or taught me a better way to do something. There are of course those who are part of my family and friends who have been part of my lifetime, and without them, I’m not sure how I would’ve gotten to this point. I have grown and learned so much because of them, and sharing has been the most adequate way of paying it forward if that makes any sense.

 

So when I read Psalms 100 this morning, my heart felt so full and so grateful for each and every one of the people in our lives, including Richard and Big Sam. We’ll have to wait and see about the man now, but still, this mama here is so grateful because I have been blessed beyond my dreams.