"Bishairt...it was meant to be..."

"Fortuosity, that's me byword
Fortuosity, me twinkle in the eye word
Sometimes castles fall to the ground
But that's where four leaf clovers are found

Fortuosity, that's me own word
Fortuosity, me never feel alone word
`Round the corner, under a tree
Good fortune's waitin', just wait and see..."
- Sherman/Sherman

There is a word in Hebrew that has become quite dear to me.  It is the word, "bishairt," and it means, "it was meant to be."   It rather reminds me of that line from the song "Fortuosity" (from Disney's The Happiest Millionaire) that says, "sometimes castles fall to the ground, but that's where four-leaf clovers are found."   Bishairt is like that for me, around every corner is a God-sent moment that was "meant to be".  And because it is God-sent, it is God-like...filled with divine surprises reminding us that as Elizabeth Barrett Browning once wrote:

"Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God:
But only he who sees takes off his shoes,
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries."

The concept of "bishairt" was introduced to me by a brief encounter with a woman in a market.  My friend, Daisy and I were having an early lunch with Tai Chi instructor, Cis Hager.  We all arrived at our beautiful gourmet "general store" that morning expecting something good to reveal itself.  It was just the mindset we were all in.  And it did, but in a most unusual way.

After sampling tiny paper cups of Forest Mushroom Bisque, Crab and Sweet Corn Chowder, and Oyster Brie Stew, making our selections and taking them to the little café by the Floral section, we realized that the only table large enough to accommodate our threesome was already occupied.  I bravely asked the woman reading, if we might join her and she heartily welcomed us. 

As I apologized for disturbing her quiet, she said, "Oh no, this is wonderful.  It is just the moment of 'bishairt' I have been waiting for!!"  I love words, and this one was new to me and it was so obviously Hebrew in origin that I felt a tingle of gooseflesh crawl along my arm and up the back of my neck.

She went on to explain that "bishairt" means that something was meant to be.  A random encounter, soulmates discovering one another, a conversation that surprises and blesses everyone in unexpected ways.

We soon discovered that our new tablemate was a practicing psychologist who was in the midst of a professional transition.  She was phasing out her more traditional practice of psychothereapy, and moving towards the Judaic practice of spiritual healing, Kabbalah.

As you can imagine it was one of those 'bishairt" conversations none of us could have imagined that morning when we planned to gather for soup after Tai Chi in the snow.   

Cis shared amazing insights on stillness and movement, Daisy was a live wire of inspiration about her most recent Bible study, and even though Judy's stay was brief, her introduction of the concept of "bishairt", as well as regaling us with the story of her journey from psychotherapy to Kaballah, was priceless.  I received, in that sweet sacred hour, gifts beyond what I could have imagined...new views of divine goodness and love, or as Mary Baker Eddy describes:

"Pure humanity, friendship, home,
the interchange of love,
bring to earth a foretaste of heaven."

I am now more alert to the serendipity woven through every day.  I am noticing how many instances of "bishairt" I experience moment-by-moment when I trust God to be the great Choreographer of my day.  Then, I "just show up," on purpose, and expectant of what is meant to be...

always with Love,  
Kate
Kate Robertson, CS