Hello From the Other Side

You will probably get this in February.

If you are reading this, I finally beat procrastination and scheduled this post to reach you in the first few days of February.

And I’m glad I did.

So, this is me from the past (or the future, depending on how you look at it), wishing you a beautiful new month.

If January taught me anything, it was about the beauty of timing. I wrote a post about it here, in case you’d like to catch up.

When the Right Book Finds You

For context, I read a couple of books in January. Two of them were books I had encountered at different times in my life. For some reason, although I was drawn to one of the titles when I first saw it—although I thought it would be a cool book to read and even got a copy—I never got around to reading it until this year. Two whole years later.

(I only remembered it because it was mentioned in another book I read this year.)

I think about how profoundly this book has transformed me in the past couple of weeks and how perfect the timing feels. How I needed to have lived the extra 48 months and then some—had all the experiences I had within that time—to fully appreciate the beauty and wisdom it holds.

I think about how, although our paths crossed years ago, I needed a different version of myself to interact with it.

And it reminds me of a weird habit a friend of mine had back in uni.

I would start a new book, excitedly share it with her, and insist she read it immediately—because the next best thing to enjoying a good book is enjoying it with a friend so you can yap about it together.

She would usually thank me, scan the pages, and then decide it wasn’t yet time for her to read it.

(I secretly thought this was just a nice-sounding way of saying the book was boring).

Me staring in, “What do you mean it's not yet time?”

She tried to explain how some books call out to you and how you just know when you need to read them—especially if they answer questions you’re currently asking on your journey. I never really got that.

Now I do.

And this isn’t just about books.

Right Timing in Love and Relationships

But I’ll tell you about the other book I read. It was this old-timey English children’s book set in the 19th century, one I absolutely loved while growing up.

I’ve probably read it about half a dozen times (that’s how much I love it). I secretly think children’s authors sometimes hide complex truths and ideas in their stories, just waiting to be discovered.

So, I read it again at the beginning of the year, at a time when I thought my imagination had deserted me—gone quiet—and I was trying to reawaken it.

I didn’t just rediscover my imagination; I found things in the book I hadn’t seen when I first read it over a decade ago.

You see, sometimes, it’s not just about the thing or the experience. It’s about the person you are at the time you encounter them. The version of you that experiences it.

I’ve heard a dozen How We First Met stories, and I’m always intrigued that some of the “best” couples didn’t even recognize each other at first sight.

Perhaps they didn’t feel any sparks and had to meet again—sometimes years later—to realize that this random person they met at the library or sat beside on the bus was their soulmate.

What changed?

The Fullness of Time

When I read stories of people who waited—for love, for children, for purpose—I sometimes wonder: Was God unfeeling and heartless? Didn’t He care that they were going through hard times while waiting?

The truth is, the version of us that receives a blessing isn’t the same version that started the journey. A lot happens between asking and receiving.

All that growth, all those moments in between, are necessary for us to recognize and appreciate the answers when they finally come.

You know how the Bible often says, “At the fullness of time”? I believe in that—the fullness of time.

I believe in all the tiny drops of experiences and interactions that add up to the perfect moment when things happen.

And when the time is right, you’ll just know—the same way I knew I should read that book this year. Things will fit into place like they were made for each other.

Because they were.

And since it’s February, I’ll throw in a little reminder from someone I respect a lot. She says,

“When your person comes, you will know. There’ll be no questions, no second-guessing or fretting. You will just know.”

I believe this—especially when the time is right.

An Early Valentine’s Wish for You

So, here’s an early Valentine’s message from me to you:

I wish you all the love your heart can hold—and then some.

I pray you grow into the version of yourself that can recognize all the love around you.

That you finally understand the love story that has been written for you.

And when you see it, when you finally get it, I hope you embrace it with gratitude—and never let go.

Simply put, I wish you growth.

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Let me know what you’re currently reading, and I’ll see if I should add it to my list.

(Or I’ll probably wait it out until 2028. )

With love,

Gift.