wherever we are, they are too

“What if the world suddenly becomes a magnificent tapestry of connections and signs and light and love, all woven, into the ordinary fabric of life that we’re so used to?” - Laura Lynne Jackson

My dear friend Mary Ann and I went out for drinks a couple of months ago to a new rooftop bar at the beginning of the summer. Over cocktails and humidity, she shared a story with me about a recent trip she took with her family to Savannah.

While they were there, her son found not one penny but two pennies at different times on the floor in their hotel room. When she sees pennies, she knows her dad is near. Ever since he died, six weeks after my mother, he has been sending her signs. It happened during the wedding of her nephew with a butterfly. She said, “wherever we were, the butterfly was too”. Eventually on the beach, she watched the yellow and black butterfly fly out over the sea.

We have had many tear-filled, heart felt conversations the last couple of years while grieving the loss of her dad and my mom. This night was no different.

We reveled in the miraculousness and mysteriousness of the pennies and how grateful we are for the signs that let us know that our loved ones are with us. We were about to pay the bill when I looked down on the ground and saw two pennies. I picked them both up, handed one to her, and kept one as we laughed and cried at the same time.

She remembered at that moment that the same weekend in the hotel with the pennies, she had been feeling down and sitting on the edge of the bed, she spoke to her father. She asked him to thank my mom for bringing me into this world. Those pennies we both knew in our bones and by the chills on our arms were her father’s way of telling us, “I met Susie.” And she is right here where you both are and where I am too.

This morning, as I happily read my new book, Signs, The Secret Language of the Universe by Laura Lynn Jackson, I smiled with every passing word. I am loving this book. Jackson encourages us to ask for signs from our loved ones, specific signs. After I read for a bit, I closed my book and said a little prayer. I thanked the universe and then requested a heart from my mom which she often sends without my asking. I have seen them in spinach leaves and patterns on the floor, in shadows, and puddles. I took a deep breath, relaxed my shoulders, stood up, and went about my day.

Also today, I had lunch with Mary Ann. Again, we talked about my mom and her dad. The gratitude we feel and the hope in our hearts. We are thankful that we are remembering them more and more as their healthy, happy old selves. I told her about the book I was reading and we reminisced about the night with her dad, my mom, and the pennies.

No sooner did we finish our conversation and pay the bill when she looks down on the floor and this time sees a yellow post it note. She says, “Is that your post it note?” But then I really look at it. Placed on the ground right next to our table is a note that reads, Hey. With one perfect little heart drawn next to it.