When a Plan Comes Together

I'm not really the "it was meant to be" type. But if I was, there are times when I would pull that phrase out of my back pocket and plaster it on my forehead.

This morning, for instance. We took a 10-minute bus ride down Belmont to attend the Second Unitarian Church. Yes, the Sadler Gordons went to church. (And it wasn't Glide.) Having heard all sorts of wonderful and intriguing things from my college friend Cara, we wanted to check this place out.

So first there's the proximity to our house. Then there's the fact that it's a mere block from Intelligentsia coffee shop (this may seem trivial to some of you, but that's only because you haven't actually tasted their coffee). Then there's the fun of seeing Cara and her family there and sitting with them (like us, they have two young boys and moved to Chicago last summer). Next, we discover that we really like this place. I mean, we feel very comfortable there and think it's a community we'd like to be part of and have the boys become part of as well. Then we suddenly look up and realize we're seeing one of Baxter's best friends from his class at Burley. Later, we discover that there are quite a few families from the school there, and realize that in this small church in this enormous city many facets of our new life are intersecting all at once and we are in the fellowship hall meeting so many friendly new people but also surrounded, miraculously, by people we know. Then, in case all that's not good enough, there was the fact that Cara and I could sneak away for the afternoon to talk non-stop in between sips of that good coffee. We even worked in a trip to Target, because, well, we're still busy moms and all.

And I don't know how this would affect any of you, but all of this has left me with a feeling that can only be described as euphoric. We are so completely in the right place.