Miracles

Christmastime is a holiday season that celebrates miracles. It especially feels that way to me with the excitement of brightly decorated packages, a myriad of twinkling lights, and joyous music. This year I think we all feel in need of a few miracles with the ongoing pandemic crisis that keeps generating frightening new variations of a deadly virus.

One dictionary definition of a miracle is that it’s “a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency.” Another definition calls it “a highly improbable or extraordinary event, development, or accomplishment that brings very welcome consequences.” Either way, divine or simply highly improbable, I’ve experienced miracles throughout my life. I’ve come to watch for them.

Sometimes I think we miss miracles because we are so caught up in the routines of daily life. That’s a shame because then we also miss the pleasure that comes with recognizing something unusually special has happened. Stardust swept away with ordinary mussiness.

I want to share what I consider one highly improbable event that made my life what it is today. Most of my work career was spent in the nonprofit world working for minimum wage with no opportunity to accumulate retirement funds. I have no regret that I did so. I was enlarged in many other ways while serving people in need and opening opportunities for them in their respective communities. By the time I reached my early sixties, I began to realize that I was probably going to be in trouble financially when my work life ended.

Then in my 63rd year I was given an unexpected opportunity to work for a company that provides profit sharing for its employees –a rarity today. This ongoing, generous contribution towards my retirement fund, plus my ability to work into my late 70s gave me the very welcome consequences of a highly improbable nest egg –and my salary generated a larger social security income. My resources are smaller than they might have been had I not worked for so long in the nonprofit sector, but I remain independent, comfortable, and happy.

And I’m still watching for miracles!