Jennifer Jester-Madrigal

By Jennifer Jester-Madrigal

“Time is what prevents everything from happening at once,” -John Archibald Wheeler.

Ever wondered why the good things that finally happen to you couldn’t have happened much earlier? If only you had met that person earlier, taken that job earlier or even played those lottery numbers, everything would be so much different!

The truth is, it probably would have been different, but would that “different” actually be an improvement?

I feel like all the happenings of my life have prepared me for the life I live today and the life I will live later.

When I was 22, I had a 3-year old at home and a very, very sick baby fighting for his life in the NICU. I thought that was the worst thing that could ever happen, and then I had Nicholas.

The patience and faith I gained watching Andrew fight for his life, prepared me for the life-long struggle and journey that Nicholas would take me on.

When I was 30, I lost my mother – who was my very best friend – to cancer, but again the patience and faith that I had gained through the previous struggles helped me to cope through the deep hole her loss left.

Here I sit at almost 36; almost a year into a completely new life where I am single with three kids, but happier then I have ever been. Is it ideal?  No.  Is it what I hoped for or would wish for anyone? No, of course not.  But, this is my reality and where I am in this life and I’m making the most of it.

I have learned that every struggle is for a reason and truly does have a purpose – even when it is not obvious at the time. The new relationships I have formed and the new path I’m on now have been paved by the experiences of yesterday, and because of that I am able to appreciate the walk I’m on now.

I’m not perfect.  I still fail and struggle daily, but I’d like to think the life I was so graciously given has humbled me a bit. Less is more, and I am content with what I have at this time and extremely excited and a little nervous about what the future holds. However, I know that whatever it does hold, my life up to this day has given me the tools to figure it out and find my way…and that it all will be okay, all in good time.