ATM = Always Trust Magic. Pay attention to those magnificent moments where purpose and random happenstance seem to intersect. ~ Amy Krouse Rosenthal.

Magic happened today.

A few days ago, a parent of one of the kids I am a catechist of in Church asked to meet with me as she was having some issues with her child’s behavior at home.

Walking into the café where we had agreed to meet, I was worried that I might be setting myself up for failure and would only be able to offer limited help. Whilst I was prepared to provide a listening ear, I had already prepared myself to tell her that I was not in a position to dispense advice on family issues as I am not a trained family counsellor or therapist. Neither was I going to be able to share much about what we talk about in catechism sessions as that would violate the trust that I have built over the years with the children in my group.

As the conversation flowed, I listened and empathized with the woman across the table from me. She was facing some of the same challenges that I am having with my oldest child who is the same age as hers. I offered her some examples of things that I have done with my child that have worked, as ideas she might consider.

Over the hour, I must have created a safe enough environment that she suddenly took a deep breathe and confided in me the personal challenges she was facing in her health and at her workplace. And I found myself in familiar territory, able to coach her and help her to uncover for herself the self-limiting beliefs that might have penned her in and kept her from becoming her best self, which would also have affected her personal relationship with her child at home.

In the second hour, together we peeled back the layers of fear and beliefs that have been holding her back from addressing her health problems. And looking into her eyes, I could see the shifts happening in her head and the puzzle pieces clicking into place. And the moment is magic. And you know it’s not a shift that is going to snap back to old ways of thinking and old habits, but a shift that is going to be fundamental. And with that shift, the world already starts to becomes a better place.

As we parted ways, I was brimming with pure joy.

Is this a typical day? Can this be a typical day? I asked myself.

Well, no and yes. I believe all of us are presented with many moments like these every day, poignant with potential for magic. All that it requires is that we choose to slow down and recognize the moment and do something to make magic happen. Will you trust the magic?