Have you ever heard of... Signs?
i.e. potential answers for why you keep seeing 4:44?
The other day my daughter and I decided to run a quick errand (she's 11 months) and tick something off my checklist that I didn't want to carry into the coming week. Once I walked into the store, I couldn't believe my eyes. Perched on a dolly that they had likely just wheeled out, was a giant 3ish foot Buddha statue. I'd been looking for one, of any size, to put in our yard for quite some time, but hadn't had any luck. But just as divine as timing, there he was. So I swooped him up, placed him in the cart and kept it moving to a nearby aisle.
Given the fact that we have a mortgage-sized childcare bill these days, I didn't necessarily go there to spend more money, but I felt the urge to take a peek, so I indulged myself with a quick browse. Again, I spotted something that I’d been looking for. This time it was a VERY large, forest green wind chime. Random? Yes. Hippieish? Also, yes. These things are typically, and inexplicably, really expensive. But I guess it was my lucky day, because that specific chime was the only one that didn't have a price tag, so the woman helping us said I could take it for whatever the other, smaller varieties next to it had marked. Needless to say, we swooped that up too and got out the hell out of there before this errand turned into a (serendipitous and completely aligned) spree.
When we got home, I wasted no time. I couldn't wait. I nestled Buddha up against the large bush that borders our back fence, which we call Narnia, and hung up the wind chime near our vegetable garden. This time, I swooped up my baby girl, pressed my cheek to hers and looked out at the yard overjoyed with the treasures we found. That's when things got a little weird (read: magical). A few seconds later, a big gust of wind came through the yard, seemingly out of nowhere, sending the wind catcher swaying and the chimes singing in response. In standard form, watery eyes overflowed to full tears streaming down my face. I don't know why, but I had an overwhelming sense of peace that washed over me in that moment and reminded me that joy is only available in the present moment. I kicked off my shoes, pressed my toes into the dirt and swayed there with our cheeks pressed together for as long as she'd tolerate it, which as my luck would have it, was a long while.
When we went back inside, I peeked out the kitchen window to see if the chime was still going and that's when I saw dozens of dragonflies flying around the garden. I'd never seen a single dragonfly in our backyard, let alone 40!
A little while later, I reached out to a new friend, an intuitive, who I knew would have more insight on what their presence might mean or symbolize. I told her about our new yard ornaments and set the scene. She responded the next morning that 1) it definitely wasn't a coincidence, and 2) that they were "directed towards me for my benefit." She, of course, also had an oracle deck that provides deeper insights on the messages from the natural world (i.e. animals). And the card sitting on top? The Dragonfly.
She sent me a photos of both the card and the messages described in the guide book. The message of the dragonfly, according to the author Colette Baron-Reid, is to remind you that "truth and wisdom are available at all times" and goes on to recommend: "pay attention to the signs" that may appear serendipitous, and that when you accept the "magic all around you, you will know you are on the right track."
Chills.
That was the feeling in the yard with my daughter. A subtle, but meaningful acknowledgment of the magic that is this life, even, and especially, when the world seems so dark and broken.
Somehow it was only after she sent me these photos that I connected the dots to another coincidence. My new friend, the one that I was texting, was the reason I knew about a topic I had been contemplating writing about– a book called "Signs: The Secret Language of the Universe."
I read Signs nearly 4 years ago, and it's one that I have gifted countless times since. This was the book a friend recommended to me, based on a recommendation from another friend who I hadn't met yet. Now here I was, on a texting basis with that person, who unknowingly influenced several ways I now try to operate in the world: paying closer attention to the small things in life, attuning to the flow of the natural world, and looking for little winks from loved ones who have passed.
From all of this, the book sprung to mind because on the cover is, again of course, a dragonfly.
I actually really needed this nudge.
I've been feeling increasingly conflicted about what to put out into the world, especially when times are so irrationally hard for so many, and a general state of anxiety has become a collective default setting. It feels objectively tone deaf to "make a recommendation," when I'd much rather be doing whatever it is we should be doing to cope these days. I suppose in my case that would be crying in your backyard for no apparent reason. This book has been at the top of my list for upcoming shares for quite some time, but I kept allowing the 'so what's to creep in instead of 'someone may need this.' But how lucky am I to get a fairly immediate, albeit roundabout, reminder that centering yourself typically does little-to-no good. And, that when we choose to focus on the possibility of creating goodness, the ripples if you will, you can get out of your own way and just do what feels right to you.
To me, Signs is essential reading for anyone who has ever lost anyone and is craving a way to still feel connected to them. The author, Laura Lynne Jackson, is renowned psychic medium and best selling author who weaves together incredibly touching stories with practical (magic) tips for ways to "recognize and interpret messages from loved ones and spirit guides on the other side." One of the things I got most out of the book, other than a clear as day sign from my grams and two uncles WHILE I was reading it (story for another day), was a further appreciation of our interconnectedness with nature and with all of those we have the privilege of loving in our lifetime.
If you're looking for a heavy dose of hope in the midst of all of the chaos in our world, or you just want to indulge your woo woo curiosities with a beautiful read, I would highly recommend letting this be your sign.
I'm sending you all love, and truly hope you can find slivers of magic in the mundane and peace in the present.
Your Friend,
Leslie
PS - I've been getting a lot more signs than just beautiful, and apparently wise, bugs. So much so that I started a "miracles list." They may not be actual miracles, but to me they've been small incidents/synchronicities/too-weird-to-be-a-coincidences that have continued to reaffirm one of my favorite personal mantras: "I am always at the right place at the right time."
I'd really love for you to start your own miracles list. To say that mantra out loud or in your head with your whole being. And to start see the dominoes begin falling in your favor.
XO