There is something very special about 11:11.
I kind of know what it is, but I also don’t fully know—if that makes sense.
As I was scrolling the ‘gram yesterday, this image from poetstribe popped up.
And it basically sums it all up.
I’ve been seeing 11:11 for YEARS. Long before I even knew it was “a thing.” And certainly long before we got Samarah (more on that in a moment).
11:11am. 11:11pm. Time stamps of 11:11. All of it.
In the beginning, I didn’t pay much attention. Until the pattern became so strong I couldn’t not see it. But even then, I didn’t understand why.
Heck, I still don’t think I understand the full why—but I believe that’s part of the point. I’m not supposed to. At least not now. Maybe not ever.
3:11
After I started seeing 11:11, some dots began connecting.
It wasn’t 11:11 proper, but it was 3:11—and this, of course, is how my entire life’s mantra was born:
Everything is beautiful in its time. – Ecclesiastes 3:11
Now that I think about it, I’m not sure I’ve ever shared that full story here. Okay, okay—a blab session for another day. Stay tuned.
November 11, 2013
Some time after discovering my 3:11 mantra, we got the call: “There’s a baby who needs a home ASAP.”
Here’s what I wrote that day in a private journal tucked away somewhere:
“For the past year, 11:11 has popped up nearly weekly—11:11am and 11:11pm (which is odd because I’m rarely ever up past 9pm). Last week alone, 11:11 appeared 3 times.”
I would later look back on that entry and make note:
Two days later (11.13.2013), we got the call that Samarah was waiting in the NICU for someone to take her home—to “foster her.”
One day after that (11.14.2013), we picked her up, brought her home, and she never left my side.
[This is Saramah, in the NICU.]
We found out after the rush of it all that 11.11.2013 was THE DAY the hospital called the state to say, “This is a miracle baby. She’s going to live, and she’ll be discharged in just a couple days.”
(Side note: Samarah was born at just 26 weeks, so up until about 2 months of age, they didn’t think she would survive. Then, like some sort of actual miracle, she made a massive turnaround within just a day or two. That’s when the state asked, “Where will she go?”)
The rest is history.
Everything Will Come to You at the Perfect Time
Twelve years later, and I still believe that “everything is beautiful in its time.”
I have no idea where poetstribe got that 11:11 quote from. If you know, feel free to enlighten me.
What I do know is that it was exactly what I needed to see this year on 11:11.
A full-body-goosebumps moment where 11:11 intertwined with my life’s mantra.
The reminder, yet again, that there is always a reason and a purpose for the waiting season. Whatever we think should happen is simply not so. God makes everything perfect in His time.
And while it’s absolutely incredible to one day look back and say, “Wow—that was why,” it’s also imperative to be here in the NOW and realize:
“I don’t know what this is, but I’m going to embrace it.”
Paying Attention
Twelve years ago, I had no idea that 11:11 would lead me to Samarah. And honestly? I have no idea what it’s pointing to now.
But I’m paying attention.
I’m watching for the signs. Trusting the process. Embracing the mystery of it all.
Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: the dots always connect. Maybe not today. Maybe not even this year. But eventually, you look back and the whole picture makes sense.
So wherever you are today—whatever you’re waiting for, wondering about, or working toward—I hope you see your own 11:11 moment soon.
And I hope it reminds you: you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.
Xox,
SKH
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