Dreams Do Come True!!

Hello to all my Sparks of Light friends,

It is with tears of joy that I pen this post. After many years, my yeshuah has finally come- I am a kallah!!!  I got engaged on Sunday night! I am still  somewhat shocked- I can't believe the day has come (TBH, I never thought it would!) 

I was looking for something very specific—someone who is solid and grounded in Torah but aware of what is out in the secular world—and was told by countless people that it's very hard to find; it's too specific; I'm too picky; I need to settle, etc. Deep down, however, I knew I needed this, so I trusted Hashem would find it for me. What can I say? Hashem really delivered!! 

My chosson meets that criteria perfectly, and I DID NOT HAVE TO SETTLE ON ANYTHING!! So there!!!! Those naysayers ought to be ashamed! 

This is the message that I am shouting from the rooftop:

If you are looking for something specific and you know deep down that it is something you need, don't listen to the people who tell you you're not being realistic/are too picky/you need to settle because you're getting older/ it's too specific, etc. Trust that Hashem will find you the right one. He will!!!! I guarantee it! That's precisely what happened to me!

The amount of hashgacha pratis that I saw with this shidduch is unreal. The stories can fill a book, and I guarantee the book would be published! Maybe one day, I'll do so under a pen name...

Here is story #1, by far the most unbelievable (although I couldn't make it up if I tried.) 

Trigger warning: This story will give you major chills. I've told it to over to many people who were literally stunned for a few minutes. And it's long. But it's worth reading till the end!

Many of you will remember my poem "To Trust," which came out in June 2023 https://www.sparksoflightinspiration.com/post/57-to-trust. In the poem, I talk about all the hishtadlus I am doing to find my shidduch- calling tons of shadchanim, taking on kabbalos, doing segulos, etc.- but still nothing when, amidst all the turmoil, I realize that Hashem wants me to stop doing hishtadlus and trust him. I talk about how trust is so hard- it's believing in the dawn when you feel trapped in midnight... (I've included a copy of the original poem.) 

In November, I was schmoozing with a close friend, and we both said, "What's going to be with us? We need to get married already!" I told my friend that I took on a new kabbalah this year that I'm not going to run around doing hishtadlus. "I'm trying to implement my "To Trust" poem," I told my friend. My friend didn't remember the poem, so I pulled it up and read it to her. Later that night, I looked at the poem and said, "You know, this is such a good poem! I should totally send it to the Binah to get it published!" On a whim, I sent it in. However, I didn't expect anything to come of it as I had sent stuff in in the past, and everything was rejected-the big-name magazines are pretty selective. Anyway, I sent it in on Friday, December 6th (remember that date) and didn't hear back, so I figured it wasn't approved. On Tuesday, December 10th, I received the following email from Binah magazine:

"Dear Shira,

We are pleased to inform you that our editorial board has accepted your original and unpublished submission for publication in Binah. Please note: We will submit your article for editing and contact you regarding any specific questions we may have regarding your article, etc..."

I was so pumped! I had always dreamed of being a published author. Anyway, the editor said my poem would be published in mid-January. A few days later, I got an email telling me my poem would be pushed off until the end of January. I was disappointed as I was eagerly awaiting to see my poem published. A few weeks later, I got another email that stated that my poem would be pushed off until issue 923 (remember that number).

By now, I was really annoyed. What was so wrong with my poem that they kept pushing it off? In the middle of all this, a shidduch was redt, and I started dating. I completely forgot about my poem. 

This Sunday, February 16th, issue 923 of Binah magazine hit the shelves. Do you know what else was on Sunday, February 16th? 

My l'chaim!!!

Do you have the chills?

I do not think this was by chance. Out of all weeks, it came out this week! I believe it was Hashem's way of telling me, "You were right, Shira! I didn't want you to do more. I just wanted you to trust more."  I could not have made this story up if I had tried!

(For those who get the Binah, my poem is on the last page, in the afterthoughts section. I used a pen name- Simi Pollak. I'm including a picture of it, but if you get the Binah, check it out in the magazine!!)