Coincidence?

Maybe.  But I don't think so. 

I needed to get out of the house to pray today.  Too, too many distractions at home.  And Mandy needed a walk, too.  So we headed out this morning and as soon as we hit our stride walking down the sidewalk, I was overwhelmed by what a gorgeous day it was outside.  It was the perfect inspiration for praising God for how magnificent He truly is. 

So we walked and prayed - well, I prayed - I'm not quite sure where Mandy's head was at.  :)   And at one point I was talking to God about how thankful I was for His Spirit and presence in me.  I know that I often wander and stray from my own faithfulness to God, but He is always faithful to me.  And I was asking Him at that point simply to keep me constantly aware of His faithfulness and presence and to help me desire and do my part to stay near to Him...

And this is where the coincidence comes in.  ;-)

I had been noticing all the beautiful leaves on the ground as I walked the neighborhood.  But then I came upon some coins that were scattered on the sidewalk.  I almost passed them by but I was curious... at first glance it looked like it might be about 28cents on the ground.  My birthday is coming up on the 28th and this fleeting thought of "wouldn't it be funny if that was 28cents" flashed thru my silly mind.  I'm ridiculously sentimental about things and little weird things like that pop into my head when it comes to birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and the like... 

anyways...

I stopped and began to pick up the coins and quickly realized it wasn't going to be 28cents...  but you know what it was?  48cents!  And well, I will be 48 on my birthday.  :)   You may think I'm crazy, but given what I had just been praying, that put a smile on my face and made me feel like God was giving me a tangible sign that He was hearing what I was saying.  He is always near and even willing to use my silly sentimentality to let me know He's there.