Coincidence?

I think it started when the "University of Pittsburgh" showed up on our phone's caller ID last month.  Actually, maybe it was at the end of September when a guest speaker at our church mentioned he had spoken in Quakertown, Pennyslvania (a message worth listening to by the way!).  Then Gregg and I were reading through Edgar Huntly for his US Literature I class, a story that happens to take place in Pennsylvania.  I can't recall all the other times "Pennsylvania" has just come up somewhere, in some way, to both Gregg and I together, or in separate incidences, but after seeing it again while reading one of Sally Clarkson's recent blog posts, I Miss My Best Friends, this morning, I finally had to say something.  I mean, Sally just happened to be in Pennsylvania recently?! 

So what's the big deal about "Pennsylvania" coming up, it seems, everywhere?  Well, for some time now my husband and I have been praying for God's direction.  With the end of the year coming right around the corner, Gregg has had to make some decisions about what to do after he graduates with a BA in English Literature from CSUSM next semester.  Sometimes God gives you confirmation about what He has planned for your life before you even make a move.  In this case, we've had to start moving in a particular direction hoping at the right time God would make His direction clear (are we staying in California, or are we moving out of state by next summer?).  So Gregg has been faithfully looking up Ph.D. programs to apply for and gathering all the things he needs to submit to universities in Arizona, Texas and Pennsylvania.  We won't know if Gregg will be accepted to any of these universities until the beginning of next year.  But if one of the universities in Pennsylvania does end up being the answer we've been praying and waiting for, wouldn't that be fun to look back and recall the little clues God left, to give us a sneak peak into what He had planned for our family?

By the way, Gregg's application to the University of Pittsburgh is the first one due, next month, so please keep that in your prayers if you so desire.  And on a side note, I had a hard time finding images for Pennsylvania online!  I had to create my own image by taking a picture of my atlas.  I would much rather have posted up a beautiful scenic picture, like a symbolic road running right through a thick forest of trees.  So, if God ends up sending our family to Pennsylvania, I'm going to make sure to take lots of good pictures!