Waiting for the Right Time: God, Glass Fairies, and a Perfectly Timed Gift

It began almost thirty years ago in Oregon, and as soon as I heard about it I was hooked. In certain seaside towns, “Glass Fairies” dropped beautiful blown glass balls or “floats” on the beaches for beachcombers to find. I mean how special is that? To find a lovely artist’s rendition of a glass float would be so amazing.

I immediately started dreaming of finding one of my own.

Over the years, I have taken many trips to beaches and searched. I’ve lifted logs and dug into the sand in the hopes of finding treasure. But I have had no success.

I have even been injured in my quest. A few years ago I jumped off a big piece of driftwood and injured my ankle. It has never healed right and I deal with daily pain. Had I found a glass ball I could have at least counted the lasting pain as being worth it. Instead it only serves to remind me of the futility of my hunts. And yet every year when they announce the dates of glass ball drops, I get excited all over again.

We tend to only read about the success stories, the people who do find old coins, or jewelry, or even glass orbs. No one wants to read about the hours people spend searching and coming up empty.

Last weekend I had a milestone birthday, and guess where I wanted to go, to the town where the glass fairies live and glass floats in all colors are dropped onto the beaches.

All my kids and grandkids came from their various homes in the world to meet me there. They knew why I chose the location. They’ve heard me gush about finding a glass ball too many times to count and they are well aware that I dream of finding one someday.

That’s the thing with dreams and yes, even prayers. We tend to think we know what the answer will be before we even finish asking. We think we know when the timing is right (we are quite sure it’s God’s timing too) and we tend to believe that we deserve to have our prayers answered. After thirty years of pining for a blown glass float and seeing that it was my big milestone birthday and my entire family was with me, I was quite sure that my time had finally come.

I went out every day of our trip and looked. My old ankle injury was painful as I walked in the deep sand. Plus, my balance on washed up logs and debris was not what it used to be. I grew dizzy and tired very quickly. And still I searched. I was so sure that this was my time!

My daughter ran into a “glass fairy” in one of the town’s shops. She told my daughter that they don’t hide the glass very carefully because they want them to be found. That made me even more sure that I was destined to finally have my prayer answered.

I continued to hunt.

Every time I saw something glistening in the sun, I was sure it was glass. But it always ended up being litter someone had left behind in the sand.

On the last day of our trip, after hours of looking, I had to admit defeat. My muscles were sore, I was out of breath, and my ankle was in pain. I slowly started walking back to the car.

I was almost to the parking lot when I ran into my kids on the beach. My son looked so cute sitting amongst the driftwood and I told him to sit still so that I could take his picture.

He had a funny smile on his face, like the cat who ate the canary. I took his picture and then asked him why he was acting so weird. He told me he wasn’t acting weird and that I was the one who was weird. It was a phrase from his youth and I laughed.

Ann Kirsten

I made my way over driftwood piles to hug him. And I looked down to keep my balance.

There, in the craggy wood was a beautiful glass float! It was large and blue and the sun shone off of it. It was perfect.

Ann Kirsten

I gasped in shock. My son said, “How did THAT get there?” I instantly knew that my sweet boy had hidden it there for me to find.

I cradled it like a baby while I hugged him and cried.

After thirty years I had my glass orb!

People asked me later if I was disappointed that I hadn’t really found one on my own. My answer was a resounding, “NO!” My darling kids had planned this surprise for me. They had spent their time in shops hunting for just the right one. They had spent too much of their money to buy a lovely big one. And they had hidden it for me to find. This glass float was so much better than any I could have found myself, because it was hidden with love.

I will treasure my glass ball forever. It will reside in a place of honor as a reminder of how very much I am loved.

It also reminds me of all the prayers I’ve prayed and all the times I was so sure of how and when they should be answered, only to find that God’s timing and His plans were so much better than any I could ever come up with.

I hunted for decades and God did not toss a glass float on the first beach I searched, or the second, or the tenth. He waited until my kids and grandkids were old enough to appreciate how very much their love meant to me.

As usual, God’s plans were so much better than my own.

^“He has made everything beautiful in its time.” Ecclesiastes 3:11