When God Sends the Right People

November 7, 2025

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Sometimes, God sends someone to sit at your table and somehow, they end up sitting in your soul.

I’ve always believed that God places people in our lives exactly when we need them most. Tonight was one of those moments that remind you there are no coincidences, only connections waiting to be recognized.

My sister, Tara, and I met an incredible man named Stefan, originally from Vienna, who’s been in the U.S. for more than 35 years. At 87, he radiates the kind of energy that makes you forget time even exists. He meditates every day, you can tell. It shows in the calm rhythm of his voice, the lightness in his step, and the ease with which he listens.

I will post more about Tara’s visit in my next post. I needed to get this story out, because I do not believe in happenstance.

We met at a small dumpling place. He was waiting alone for his to-go order, and I offered him a seat with us. What began as polite conversation about where Tara and I are from soon turned into something deeper. He asked why I was in New York, and I explained. The exchange shifted from small talk to soul talk; about life, purpose, meaning, and the quiet strength that comes from gratitude.

I shared a bit about my writing, pieces from ShadesofInsight.com, and even a few things I haven’t yet published, reflections on being present with a heart of gratitude, on finding grace even in uncertainty. That naturally led us into a conversation about the power of meditation, positivity, and vision and how the mind can either be a storm or a sanctuary, depending on how we tend to it.

I brought up Viktor Frankl. I told Stefan that I had reread Man’s Search for Meaning after my diagnosis, and how differently it struck me this time. I’d read it before, in college and later for leadership courses, but back then it was more of an intellectual exercise: a study in resilience, purpose, and psychology. After the diagnosis, though, it became personal. The words carried a new weight. Frankl’s insistence that even in suffering we have the freedom to choose our response and that we can create meaning from pain. The words no longer felt theoretical. It felt like a lifeline.

Stefan smiled knowingly. He said positivity isn’t about pretending things are perfect; it’s about holding a vision of what’s still possible. Meditation, he said, helps keep that vision clear when life gets blurry. We talked about how gratitude grounds that vision, how it transforms even hardship into a teacher.

Tara and I would have loved to talk with him longer, but Alicia called him twice while we sat there, and we took that as our gentle signal that it was time for him to go. We didn’t want to get him into trouble.

We said our goodbyes, but it was one of those farewells that doesn’t feel final. This encounter will kind linger in our hearts for a while. Tara and I spoke about the meaning of that conversation all the way back to the apartment.

Before leaving, Stefan mentioned that he visits the same farmers market that sets up right outside our building. So maybe this story isn’t over yet. I hope to run into him again, perhaps among the flowers, the apples, and the hum of city life.

He also introduced us to @Nikkaflute, a radiant spirit whose music and creativity carry the same grace that filled our conversation tonight. Her talent is something the world truly needs to hear.

By the time we left, I felt lighter. Humbled. Deeply seen.

I know that God has a way of sending the right people at the right time, not just to cross our path, but to remind us we’re still on the right one.