It had been a brutal day. Twelve hours on my feet, running from room to room, dealing with emergencies, short staffing, and a patient yelling at me for something out of my control. Being a nurse was exhausting on the best days, but today? Today was worse.Because when I finally got to my car, drained and desperate to go home, I found an eviction notice taped to my door.
I stared at it, my brain too tired to process. Rent had been late, sure, but I thought I had more time. Apparently not. In three weeks, I’d have nowhere to go.I sat in my car, gripping the wheel, feeling completely and utterly defeated.And then, something made me look up.The sky had been cloudy all day, but in that moment, the sun broke through. And right there, framed by the light, was a figure. A shape, familiar and unmistakable—long robes, outstretched arms.
Jesus?I fumbled for my phone, hands shaking, and snapped a photo.Maybe it was just the clouds. Maybe it was just a trick of the light. But in that moment, I didn’t care.I needed something to hold onto. And that? That was enough.I’m not usually the kind of person who sees messages in the clouds. I’m practical. I believe in double-checking medication dosages and verifying patient charts. But as I drove home, that image kept replaying in my mind. It felt so vivid, so intentional. I tried to tell myself it was just a phenomenon of nature, but deep down, a part of me was comforted—like maybe, just maybe, there was a sign meant for me.
Back at my apartment, I carefully pulled the eviction notice off the door. Before I stepped inside, I glanced up one more time, trying to see if that shape was still there, but the clouds had rolled in again. The sky was gray, and the moment was gone.I walked into my tiny living room, threw my work bag onto the couch, and kicked off my shoes. I sank down next to my bag and stared at the eviction notice, reading every line even though my eyes blurred with fatigue. Three weeks. That was it. I could pack up everything I owned in a day, but I had nowhere to move it. My parents were gone, and my only sibling lived across the country. I had friends in town, sure, but none with enough room to spare. And I couldn’t just squat in my car—my schedule was too demanding to manage something like that without falling apart.
Tears welled up, but I brushed them away. I’d been taught never to give up without a fight. “You’ll find a way,” I told myself. “You have to.”That night, I tried to sleep, but the swirling thoughts of rent, job stress, and that cloud-figure kept me awake. Eventually, I dozed off around two in the morning, only to wake up four hours later to do it all again.
The next day at the hospital was just as chaotic. I was in the middle of my second double shift in a row when a colleague of mine, a seasoned nurse named Rowan, walked by with a knowing look. “You okay?” Rowan asked, setting down a stack of charts.I hesitated. I wasn’t close to Rowan outside of work, but I admired their calm presence in the middle of the daily mayhem. With a deep sigh, I explained about my late rent, the eviction notice, and the sinking feeling in my gut. I didn’t expect much, maybe a sympathetic ear.Instead, Rowan surprised me. “My cousin’s moving out of my basement apartment next week,” Rowan said. “It’s not fancy, but if you need a place—just until you get back on your feet—let me know.”