Read the following sentences from President Reagan's eulogy by Margaret Thatcher: "As he told a priest after his recovery, 'What
ever time I've got left now belongs to the big fella upstairs.' And surely, it is hard to deny that Ronald Reagan's life was providential when we look at what he achieved in the eight years that followed." Using context clues, what does the word providential mean as it is used in the text above?
In this passage, Margaret Thatcher is giving a eulogy after the death of President Ronald Reagan. In this text, Thatcher talks about Reagan's opinions on death, and on the fact that, when he thought he was close to death, he was still able to do a lot in the years that followed. She references God and says this was "providential." What she means is that such an outcome was unusual and lucky. Moreover, she implies God had something to do with it, as if it was a divine decision.
The president had uncertainty as he uttered the last words. He knew at one point he might die and leave this earth. On the other hand, he put his life in the hands of a supreme divine being who he addressed as the "big fella upstairs." However, a huge turn of events took place. He recovered and gained 8 more years. In this way, it was an unusual lease of life that could only be attributed to the divine being above.
