Meant to be

I don't consider myself superstitious. I don't particularly like it when people say "if God wanted it to be, it would be", but don't put any effort on their part to make it happen.

Now, don't get me wrong, I do believe in God and the fact that He has a plan that is much better designed that your own. Having said that though, I also believe that you have to make a great effort to achieve whatever it is that you want and if God thinks your plan should work, then things will roll smoothly for you and if He thinks your plan sucks, then He will make sure you find a new plan. Now, a few bumps on the road don't mean you should give up. Challenges build character and make whatever it is you are working towards that much more valuable when you do achieve it. But no bumps on the road, now that is a sign! A sign that your plan and God's plan match!

Our Aliyah, if my theory above is correct, is nothing short of a plan made in heaven! 

Let me give you a little bit of background and then I will come back to the point. When I graduated high school, I considered (for like 5 minutes) to make aliyah. So did my husband Ivan after he spent his year of ajshara (i am sure that is not how it is spelled, but bear with me). Instead, he moved to Miami and I stayed in Colombia and started college in Bogota. After three years, I decided I wanted to do a semester abroad in Paris, learn some french, take some baking classes, see the world... As I started to plan my semester in France, a semester started to turn into finishing college there and then those bumps on the road I talked about started to appear. One day, my grandparents said "why don't you go to the US and finish college there? The education is reputable worldwide (it is not like I was going to go to the Sorbonne if  I moved to France), and you can do your semester in  Paris  afterwards". The suggestion had a ring to it and I thought "it doesn't hurt to apply".  This conversation with my grandparents took place in April, I applied and got accepted at FIU right away, my student visa came in quickly and in June I was living in Miami, looking for a roommate and ready to start school. Now, talk about no bumps on the road. 

Now, perhaps my plan to go to Israel after college or study in the City of Love or my husband's plan to make aliyah before moving to Miami was a good plan, just the timing wasn't right. I am sure of that now (hindsight is 20/20). I met my husband after only two weeks in Miami and we have two beautiful children.  We were both meant to be in Miami at that time. 

Today, our plan is God's plan. I am certain of it. It may not have been years ago, but today, it is. From the moment we said "let's look into it" until now, our road to aliyah has been bump free. I would even dare to say we've been "pushed". I know that moving to a new country, learning a new language and a new culture will come with its challenges, but I also know that just as when things happened so easily for me when I decided to "look into" moving to Miami, if things are happening so easily for us to make aliyah, it is because good things are awaiting for us just around the corner (well, just at the other side of the world)