Out-of-Town (and Body) Experience
Since Ben's work schedule is actually normal now, we were able to take our first vacation in six years (along with lots of careful planning and diligent testing for cooties, of course)! We visited my sister and brother-in-law in Ohio, carving out a little time to see Michigan and Lake Erie - a first for Ben and me. Our trip went smoother than it had any right to, and we had a wonderful time. I also wanted to share with you a cool little series of events. I would call myself a "medium-sized" believer in signs and wonders. I don't think every cardinal in my backyard is a heavenly visitor or anything, but I also think it's possible - maybe even probable - to receive signals from departed loved ones, whether in dreams or otherwise.
Before setting off for Lake Erie, we stopped by the AirBNB Ben and I had rented to pick up supplies. Sissy wanted to see inside, so she came with me to the door. Now, I had been unlocking and relocking the smart lock for a whole day without issue. Suddenly, I couldn't get that thing open to save my life. We tried over and over, checked the batteries, Googled how to reset it, etc. I was literally dialing the owner when the lock finally disengaged after one final, fussy try. We chalked it up to technology, but we couldn't help but notice that the playful (exasperating) and impish (occasionally annoying) energy of the lock reminded us of everyone's favorite ole crazy red-headed lunchlady, our mom.
We arrived at Lake Erie, Ben and I beholden to its beauty. The water was sparkling, the wind and temperature lovely and temperate compared to the oppressive humidity of Tennessee. As we strolled along, a young boy who was fishing off the pier yelled over to the group of adults nearby, "Hey, Uncle Michael!" I literally gasped in shock. You may remember that MY Uncle Michael, whom Sissy and I loved very much, passed away less than a month ago.
Will and Ben then decided to indulge Sissy and I in a mini-fashion shoot. You can enjoy our excellent poses and clear photogenicity in this post. (And please zoom in on Ben in that one photo - we're still laughing.) I feel a special kind of energy when I spend time with my sister - the time together makes me feel stronger, and funnier, and somehow closer to knowing the answers to the unanswerable questions we're all plagued with. Can you see it in the pictures? Afterwards, I walked over to the edge of the water, and to my astonishment, a lone heron flew low and slow right past me. I was flabbergasted. Anytime I see a heron, I am reminded of my dear father. When I was kid, I would try - and fail desperately - to draw like Daddy did. Specifically, when I would draw herons, I would sketch their legs as I saw them, hanging straight down and twice as long as their bodies. Daddy would sweetly tease me about those bird legs, insisting that no bird legs in the world looked quite like the ones I drew. (At least he now knows that whatever deficiencies I might possess as an artist, I do not have them as a writer and my musings are perfect in every way. )
So, the fact that I had three supernatural salutations in literally less than an hour makes me think that maybe, just maybe, some of our loved ones stopped by to say hi to mark our special occasion. I just had to share my happiness with you, friends. If you needed a sign today that someone whom you miss is ok, perhaps you can take it from me.
