Coincidences? - A New Grandchild

I traveled to Florida a week ago to be with my son and daughter-in-law while they welcome a newborn son into their family.  I tried to keep up with their energetic three-year-old when they were at the hospital and helped prepare a few freezer meals to leave with them when I am gone.

My son described the tears that filled his eyes the first time he held his infant child and felt a tender bond.  Born a month early by C-section, this child was amazingly healthy and perfectly formed.  The time our son has with his family is limited to a few short weeks.  Soon he will be leaving for military deployment overseas.  His wife's tender feelings are tempered with the resilience of a military wife, who has to prepare to say goodbye, again, to her husband and care for their home and children while he is away.  And his heart and mind is filled with concern for their welfare.

A question has been on my mind all week, "Is it merely coincidence that their son was born in the same hospital my sister-in-law was born at 65 years ago?"  My husband's parents both served in the Navy.  They were both from a small town in Idaho.  After graduating from high school, his mother enlisted in the Navy and became a member of the WAVES.  She taught aerial gunnery during WWII.  Her training was in Pensacola, Florida, after which she was assigned to a base in Jacksonville.  There, her high school friend found her and they were married.  And a year later they had a daughter, born at the Jacksonville Naval Station Hospital.

My son received his basic training at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center north of Chicago.  After graduation from boot camp he received training in Pensacola and then was assigned to Jacksonville Naval Air Station.  His specialty is different than his grandmother's, yet he is following her footsteps.  It is as though there is a very specific path prepared for him to follow.  It is reassuring to me to know that someone is watching out for him and his family.  Their paths will vary where life's changes take them, but in this moment these "coincidences" are more than meaningful.

Could it also be true for all of us?  Is there a plan for each that has been carefully prepared for our protection and learning?  I feel certain of it.