C - Coincidence

C is for Coincidence

I’m sure we have all uttered the phrase “wow, what a coincidence!” more than a handful of times throughout our lives. From wearing the same color shirt as your best friend on the same day, to having a mutual friend with someone that lives halfway across the world—coincidences seem to happen quite often. But at what point does a coincidence become something more than just a coincidence? When does it start to develop a deeper meaning? Are these coincidences really just coincidences, or is there a higher power at work? Whatever you think all boils down to what you believe. I personally believe in both coincidence and Christ.

There are definitely some things in life that are just coincidences, but I can’t help but feel that the larger “coincidences” may be God at work in our lives. Looking back at the best “coincidence” of my life has me convinced that it was definitely Christ at work and not just a happy accident. This week I am going to open up and share with you the “coincidence” that changed my life for the better.

B E F O R E   A L T E C

Move & Travel

I graduated from the University of Wisconsin Superior with a degree in Communicating Arts in December 2014, and I moved home to MN from CO at the very end of July of 2015. I really didn’t know what career path I wanted to pursue at that time, but I knew I wanted to do some travelling before I devoted the rest of my life to work, so I did just that! From the middle of August to the beginning of September I spent three weeks in Sweden with my favorite foreign friend, Matilda. During those three weeks Matilda and I explored a lot of Sweden and spent four days in Italy! I thoroughly enjoyed my trip and returned to MN in September feeling ready to officially resign to adulthood and tackle ‘The Great Job Hunt of 2015’.

Dennis Attended NUMC

Before I even had a chance to do any serious job hunting, a man named Dennis attended my church in Esko, MN shortly after I returned from Europe. He and his family were new to the area and he happened to work for Kelly Services, a temp agency in Duluth. He offered to help me find a temp job, and before I knew it I became an employee of Kelly Services. 

Working for Kelly: October 2015 to May 2016

My first temp job, which was also my first “real/professional” job ever, was at the Amberwing branch of Essentia Health as the Intake Coordinator; I could not have asked for a better first job! Not only was it a job in a setting related to my minor of behavior and psychology, but I also had an amazing, encouraging boss and warm, welcoming, and overall wonderful co-workers. I worked here for a little over a month covering for the Intake Coordinator who was on maternity leave.

My second temp job was at the 6^th Ave Building of Essentia Health in the Marketing Department as an assistant to the Marketing Assistant. The lady I was working with was very nice, and I was there to help her catch up on end of the year work and cover the front desk while she went on vacation. I did everything from filing and data entry to un-packaging 1,000+ mini whoopee cushions (I can’t make this stuff up). It was really fun to experience the marketing side of Essentia Health, and while everyone was very friendly, I didn’t make any close connections like I did with the people at Amberwing. I loved the experience, but if there was one thing this job taught me it’s that I do not enjoy working in a cubicle (I’m far too chatty for that).

My third temp job was a receptionist position at Woodland Hills Academy. Before I accepted this job, I interviewed and was offered a job as a lawyer’s assistant at a local lawyer’s office, but something about that job just didn’t feel right to me. I felt more strongly about the job I was offered at Woodland Hills Academy, especially because it was another job in a setting that was related to behavior and psychology which I have an (obvious) interest in.  I worked at WHA for about 4-5 months before they offered me the job full time, but I respectfully declined as I knew there was no room for advancement there. It made me very happy to know that one of my dearest co-workers, Laraine, was taking over the role of the receptionist (a role she had held many, many years before). I met so many awesome people during my time at Woodland Hills, some of which I still talk to today. It was another great place to work!

At this point I still wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do with my life, and I was toying with the idea of moving back to Colorado. I figured I would let Kelly Services look for another temp job for me while I also did some job searching of my own. I had heard a lot about the beautiful, newly built headquarters of Maurice’s in downtown Duluth, so I decided to see what jobs were available there. I found a temporary job as a “Care Associate” (through Maurice’s, not Kelly Services) on the Maurice’s website that lasted from July 2016-November 2016. I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of answering customer complaints all day (“Care Associate” is just Maurice’s nice name for a customer service rep), but I figured the job only last 6 months and if I didn’t like it it’d be over at the end of the year anyways. So, I finally had something resembling a plan—I would apply for the temp job at Maurice’s, work until the end of 2016 (if I got the job), and then possibly move back to Colorado. I applied for the job online and before I knew it I had an interview scheduled for the following Tuesday. Before I even had time to sit back and bask in my tentative grown up plan, Kelly Services called asking if I’d be interested in a temp job at a trucking company in Duluth—Altec. I told the Kelly rep that I had an interview with Maurice’s on Monday and that I would need to think about whether I even wanted to interview for the job at Altec. I went to my mom seeking her advice about what I should do, and she said it might not be a bad idea to have a back-up job lined up just in case the job at Maurice’s didn’t work out. Not surprisingly, I was thinking the same thing, so I called my rep at Kelly and they scheduled my interview at Altec for the following Wednesday, just one day after my interview at Maurice’s.

Altec Attraction

My interview at Maurice’s went well, and I even got to meet and talk with the head of the department I would have been working in. I left the interview feeling confident, but I couldn’t help but think that a lot of people were probably interested in getting a job at the new Maurice’s headquarters which stirred up a bit of doubt. I also questioned whether I would enjoy the kind of work I would be doing (I think deep down I knew I wouldn’t enjoy it at all), but I decided to brush off my negativity and reminded myself of my end goal—this was all part of the plan!

Wednesday arrived and I headed to my interview at Altec. I gave myself a pep talk and calmed my nerves by reminding myself that I’ve got nothing to lose—this was my “back up” job after all. I did a bit of research online beforehand so I would at least have a smidgen of knowledge regarding the company I was interviewing at, and I noticed that one of Altec’s values was “spiritual development” which came as a pleasant surprise. As the interview progressed, I noticed a change in myself—the more questions they asked me, the more interested I became, and something about it just felt right. The second I walked out of Altec’s doors I knew I wanted that job. I can’t explain why I wanted the job so badly; I just knew I had to get it. I no longer had any desire to work at Maurice’s, and for the first time in my life I was hoping I wouldn’t be offered the job (although I would still be very grateful for the offer). My interview with Altec had already started to become a blur and I began to over-think everything to the extreme; I was afraid that I may have said something that would ruin my chances of landing the job. I was worrying myself silly, and I realized that I just needed to “let go and let God”. The interview was over, I gave it my all, and it was out of my hands—there was no use in worrying about something that was no longer in my control. I obviously felt strongly about this job for a reason, and if it was meant to be then it would be.

I wasn’t sure how soon I would hear back from Maurice’s, but the temp agency told me they would probably hear back from Altec by Friday. I really hoped Maurice’s wouldn’t call first, but at that point it didn’t matter because I had already decided that I would decline the Maurice’s job whether I knew if I got the job at Altec or not. I tried my best to be patient (not one of my strong suits), but when I didn’t hear from the Kelly Services by Friday I decided to give them a call. I was extremely bummed (to put it nicely) to find out that my Kelly representative wasn’t in the office that day, which meant I would have to wait until Monday to find out if I got the job. I remained calm and reminded myself that it was out of my hands.

After what felt like one of the longest weekends of my life, Monday finally arrived and all of my worries, fears, and doubts were washed away when I got a call from Kelly Services offering me the job at Altec! Relief and excitement swept over me as I realized that my incessant worrying was all for naught—I was so excited to start working at Altec!

A L  T E C   N O W

I must admit that I received some crazy looks when I told people that I accepted the job at a company that manufactures booms for bucket trucks over a job at the brand new Maurice’s headquarters (la dee da), but I didn’t care—it has been one of the best decision I’ve ever made. I truly love my job and the people I work with, and it led me to one of the most important people in my life—Michael. Once I met Michael and got to know him more, it all started to make sense to me. Our friendship felt effortless, and I couldn’t help but feel like God had a hand in leading me straight to him.

Looking back, I realize that Dennis was the key. If Dennis had never attended my tiny church in Esko, MN, I never would have started working for Kelly Services, which means I never would have gotten a job at Altec, and I never would have met Michael. I find it amazing how God can use a single, seemingly un-noteworthy person to change the course of entire lives, and to be honest, I can’t help but feel that calling something this wonderful and life changing a “coincidence” is doing it a disservice. It’s unfathomable to me that something that gives my life so much meaning and brings me so much bliss, joy, and contentment can be just a happy accident.

Coincidence? I think not.

I think Christ.