It was supposed to be a quick trip.

You know the drill: Run into the store, grab what you need, and get out before someone blocks the self-checkout with a cart full of produce that needs to be weighed individually.

But, of course, life had other plans.

I had my list, I had my mission, and I was determined to execute flawlessly.

But somewhere between the aisle with the overpriced organic snacks and the freezer section, I got distracted.

Maybe it was the sudden crisis over which pasta sauce to buy, or maybe it was just the end-of-the-day brain fog.

Either way, by the time I got back to my car and started unloading my bags, I realized it.

I had forgotten the one thing I actually came for.

A sigh. A moment of hesitation. Do I really go back in for just one item?

The lazy part of me begged to let it go. But my better judgment (or was it my stubbornness?) won, and back I went.

And that’s when it happened.

Right there, in front of the automatic doors, I ran into an old friend. Someone I hadn’t seen in years.

We locked eyes, both a little stunned, and before I knew it, we were deep in conversation. She told me about a challenge she was facing, something that had been weighing heavily on her.

And then she said this:

“I actually thought about calling you today. But I didn’t have the courage.”

Now, I don’t know about you, but that kind of thing makes me stop in my tracks. Because if I hadn’t forgotten my item, if I had just gone home, if I had made even one different choice, I never would have been there at that exact moment.

Coincidence? Not really.

Purim: The Holiday of Perfect Timing

This is exactly what the Jewish holiday of Purim is about.

If you’re waiting for a Hollywood-style miracle — fire from the sky, seas splitting, divine messages flashing in the clouds — you won’t find it in Purim’s story.

What you will find is something far more subtle, yet arguably even more powerful.

The Jewish people were living under Persian rule, and things were … tense. Haman, an evil prime minister with a vendetta, and suddenly, an entire nation was staring at destruction.

And yet, through a series of seemingly ordinary events, things shifted.

A young woman named Esther, who just so happened to be Jewish, was chosen as queen. Her cousin, Mordecai, just so happened to overhear a crucial piece of information. The king just so happened to have a sleepless night at the perfect time.

And on and on it went — until, in the end, everything turned upside down. The people who were supposed to be doomed were saved, and those who plotted against them met their own downfall.

At no point does the story break the laws of nature. No supernatural wonders, no divine voice thundering instructions.

Just a long string of well-placed moments that, when stitched together, revealed something bigger at play.

Finding the Hidden Miracles

Most of us aren’t waiting for the sea to split in front of us. But we are looking for something — a sign, a moment of clarity, a little reassurance that we’re headed in the right direction.

And Purim reminds us that we don’t need to wait for fireworks. The miracles are already there, woven into our lives in the most ordinary of ways.

Sometimes, it’s a chance meeting at the grocery store. Sometimes, it’s a missed flight that leads to an unexpected opportunity. Sometimes, it’s a problem that forces us onto a better path.

And sometimes, it’s forgetting the one thing on your shopping list — only to realize it was exactly what was supposed to happen.

When we start paying attention, we begin to see just how many miracles are already in our lives. And that changes everything.

It fills us with gratitude, but more than that, it shifts how we move through the world. When we recognize that life is filled with quiet, everyday miracles, we become more patient, more generous and more present.

Instead of rushing past the small moments, we appreciate them. Instead of assuming things just happen, we see the hand guiding them. And when we live with that awareness, we don’t just feel more blessed, we become better at being a blessing to others.

Because when we recognize the miracles we already have, we naturally become the kind of people who create them for someone else.