God was watching over this little family. He knew all along that Tony was looking for a woman to believe in him, and while for years the wait felt to Tony like being forgotten, God knew that Jill would one day be ready too.
God wept with them each time a baby slipped through their fingers, carrying them with an invisible cushion of protection that comes from omniscience. Mandy would open their hearts and bring healing to the past.
He had long ago committed to granting wishes whenever it was possible. It was just that sometimes they asked for things they did not need.
Plus their memories were short. Sometimes the very things they petitioned for became fuel for complaints. Or the gifts disappeared underfoot as His children found new things to beg for. It was not that God needed thanks for his own sake, but because in its absence the message of love goes unread.
God orchestrated their jobs, so that there was enough success that they didn't give up, yet not so much that they got cocky. Even Tony's injury was within His plan. Tony had always been somewhat critical of his father, who endured a chronic illness. Tony believed he used it to garner sympathy. Now he was not so sure.
The story isn't over. It is ours to keep living it, to bend over and pick up the gifts that have been lavishly laid in our path. To trust that even the heartbreak is woven into the long game of truly believing that God loves us enough to say yes.
