He Supplies What We Need

Seventeen years.

That is how long I have been on this recovery journey. Seventeen years of learning, adjusting, and rebuilding—physically, mentally, and spiritually. Over that time, I have continued work in areas like physical and occupational therapy, both in structured sessions and mainly in daily life, doing what I can to move forward, little by little.

But there has been one area that has felt… less clear.

Speech therapy.

The things most people don’t think about—tongue movement, swallowing, coordination within the mouth—those quiet, intricate functions that are easy to overlook unless you’ve had to relearn them.

I’ve often wondered:

What more can I do here?

How do I move forward in this area?

But before I even get to where I am now… I need to tell you how God brought me here.

Because none of this happened by accident.

A Step of Faith

After I received my license back, I set a goal for myself.

I wanted to take a road trip.

It may not sound like much to some, but for me, it was significant. It represented independence, confidence, and progress.

So about eight or nine months after getting my license, I made a plan.

I reached out to some family friends who live about three and a half hours away and told them I would be coming to stay with them for a week during my spring break at the end of March 2024.

And I went.

A Door Opens

While I was there, their daughter invited me to go to the gym with her.

We did a variety of exercises—things that, at one time, I wouldn’t have imagined myself doing again.

And I realized something that surprised me: I can do this.

I didn’t just survive it.

I enjoyed it.

When I came back home, that realization stayed with me. So I started looking into gyms in my area and eventually decided that the YMCA would be the best fit.

I joined.

And I showed up.

Week after week.

Consistency Over Time

For about a year and a half, I attended regularly. Nothing flashy. Nothing dramatic. Just consistent effort.

Then I decided to take another step and joined one of their classes.

That class has been incredibly beneficial—helping me work on skills I still need to develop, strengthening areas that require attention, and continuing the process of rebuilding.

At the same time, something else was growing.

The Writing That Became a Book

In September 2024, I started writing a blog.

At first, it was just that—writing. Processing. Reflecting. Sharing.

But by November 2025, I felt led to do something more with it.

I decided to compile that writing into a book.

And I worked toward that goal.

By the end of February—or the beginning of March 2026—that book was published.

A testimony in written form.

And then something I didn’t expect happened.

God Makes Room

The YMCA—this place that had become part of my physical growth—also became a place where my story could be shared.

They allowed me to host not one, but two book signings.

I was able to: sell copies, meet people, have conversations, sign books for those who chose to read my story.

It was meaningful in ways that are hard to fully put into words.

But what happened next… I could not have orchestrated if I tried.

A Gift Meant for Me

One of the ladies in my class bought my book.

She read it.

And then one day, she told me she had something for me.

An excerpt from my book, Every Breath, On Purpose.

She shared that in my book, I had described feeling like Wonder Woman—in the sense of enduring and withstanding so much.

She makes tote bags.

Years ago—about six, to be exact—she had created a Wonder Woman bag for a friend. She couldn’t find a pattern, so she designed it herself. She made two, but kept one because she didn’t want to give away the only one she had.

That second bag had been sitting… waiting.

And after reading my story, she said she knew exactly who it belonged to.

Me.

When she gave it to me, I was overwhelmed.

Emotional. Grateful. Humbled.

But God wasn’t finished.

The Detail Only God Could Write

Because this woman…

Is a speech pathologist.

When the Missing Piece Appears

I had to pause when she told me, knowing that even before she mentioned my gift bag.

A speech pathologist.

After all these years—after wondering what I could do, after not having clear direction in this area of my recovery—here stood someone with years of experience, placed right in my path in the most unexpected way.

Not in a clinic I searched for.

Not through a referral I chased down.

But in a gym class… after a book… after a conversation… after a bag.

Only God could write something like that.

A Glimpse of What’s Possible

We didn’t waste time.

After class, we sat in front of a mirror and had a brief conversation. She had me focus on something as simple as where my tongue was resting—something I had never been asked to think about so intentionally before. She introduced me to a few tools I had never used before, and even mentioned things I had never heard before—terms, techniques, small adjustments that opened my eyes to how much there is to this area of healing.

It wasn’t long.

It wasn’t formal.

But it was enough.

Enough to show me that progress is possible.

Enough to give direction where there had been uncertainty for so long.

And now, we have a plan.

We’re going to meet after class on Wednesdays and Fridays and begin working through this—intentionally, consistently, and with purpose.

In Awe of the Timing

For so long, this area felt like a closed door—something I knew needed attention but had no clear way to approach. And now, without me even searching for it, that door has been opened. As I’ve stepped back and looked at everything that led to this moment, I can’t help but stand in awe.

The road trip.

The gym.

The consistency.

The blog.

The book.

The book signing.

The conversation.

The gift.

Every piece—one by one—falling into place.

Not rushed.

Not forced.

But perfectly timed.

It reminds me of what Scripture says in Romans 8:28:

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Not some things.

All things.

Even the things that, at the time, just feel like small steps… or even unrelated moments.

God is working through all of it.

Details Only God Could Arrange

As if that connection wasn’t enough, there was one more detail that stopped me in my tracks.

She gave me her business card, which included her website. When I went to look it up, I noticed a line that read:

“Speech Therapy since 1981.”

1981.  

That is the year I was born.

And I just sat there for a moment, taking that in.

This woman—this speech pathologist with years of experience—has been learning, growing, and developing in the very area I need… since the year I entered this world.

That is not something I can brush off as coincidence.

That is intentional.

A Seed Planted Long Before

It immediately brought to mind the account of Zacchaeus.

In Luke 19:4, it says: “And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.”

Zacchaeus was small in stature, and in that moment, he needed something to help him see Jesus.

But that tree didn’t appear overnight.

That tree had to be planted as a seed long before Zacchaeus ever needed it. It had to grow over time—years of unseen development—before it became strong enough to support him when the moment came.

Nothing Is Overlooked

And that is what this reminded me of.

God had already been preparing something—someone—long before I even knew I would need it.

Long before I understood this part of my journey.
Long before I had direction.
Long before I ever stepped into that gym.

He was already at work.

Because that is the kind of God He is.

A God who sees ahead.
A God who prepares in advance.
A God who does not overlook a single detail.

Psalm 37:23 says: “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.”

Even the steps we don’t understand…
Even the delays…
Even the years where it feels like nothing is happening…

He is ordering them all.

Right on Time

So when I look at this now, I don’t just see timing.

I see preparation.

I see a God who planted seeds long before I ever knew I would need the harvest.

And when the time was right…
He brought it all together.

Right on time.

Hope With Open Hands

I’ll be honest—I’m excited.

There is a part of me that wants to run ahead, to imagine all the possibilities, to anticipate what could come from this.

But I’m also trying to hold that excitement with wisdom.

To not get ahead of myself.

To simply do what I am able to do, one step at a time.

Because this—right here—already feels like an answered prayer I didn’t even fully know how to pray.

For so long, I didn’t have direction in this area. I didn’t know what to do to move forward with speech, with swallowing, with the coordination of things most people never think twice about.

And now… I do. Now it’s my responsibility to show up, to be consistent, and to steward what God has placed in front of me.

That alone is something to be thankful for.

God Is Able

I do not doubt that God is able.

Able to heal.

Able to restore.

Able to strengthen what feels weak.

Whether He chooses full healing or continued improvement, I know this:

He is the One who brought me to this point.

And He is the One who will carry it forward.

Jesus said in John 15:5: “for without me ye can do nothing.”

And I see that more clearly now than ever before.

There Is Still Hope

This moment has reminded me of something I want to leave with you:

While you have breath… you have hope.

Job 14:7 says: “For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again…”

Even when something seems stalled…

Even when you don’t know what the next step is…

Even when progress feels slow or unclear…

God is still working.

He is not limited by time.

He is not hindered by delay.

And He is never without a plan.

Do You See His Hand?

So I ask you:

Do you see God’s hand in your life or have you overlooked what He’s been carefully putting together all along?

In the connections…

In the timing…

In the doors that opened when you weren’t even looking for them…

What has He brought you through?

What has He already done that you may have overlooked?

Because sometimes, what feels like a small moment…is actually the beginning of something much greater.

Moving Forward—One Step at a Time

I don’t know exactly what this next part of the journey will look like.

But I know this:

I have direction now.

I have opportunity now.

And I have hope—renewed in a very specific and personal way.

As long as you have breath, God is still working. And as long as He is working… there is still hope.

And that, in itself, is something I will never take for granted.

 Be encouraged. 🧡

                                       

PS - Check out my next post- Why This Feels Different: a renewed hope after the waiting, for more understanding