Signs

Do you believe in signs and communication from the other side, the afterlife, the spiritual realm? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a ghost or had one speak to me, but I do think there are ways that sometimes our loved ones reach out and communicate with us. Probably it’s not even reserved for those who have passed away, but also for those people that we have a soul connection to.

This Christmas, I was really being reminded of my grandma and the warm, loving presence she always was (is) in my life. Though I may not physically have her in my life anymore, it seems as though the universe conspired to send me little hints of her, this year especially. First, there was the box of Cadbury chocolate covered cookie fingers someone had gifted to my husband; then, there was the homemade Christmas candy that my grandma always used to make. I thought about trying to get the recipe for it this year, and my aunt gifted me some, out of the blue; I hadn’t even mentioned to her that I’d been thinking of the recipe. And then, my dad gave me a beautiful red poinsettia for Christmas––my grandma always had to have a bright red poinsettia for Christmas, always, sometimes more than one.

A couple of years ago, I made a point of starting some of the traditions that made Christmas special for me with our kids. I commissioned some stockings that were similar to the ones that she always gave to us kids filled them with licorice allsorts, candy canes, mandarin oranges and Hershey’s kisses. This year I got everything but the kisses––as we all know, it’s been a weird year and I’ve been to the stores as little as possible, so I may have missed a few things.

Anyway, I really felt like she was saying Hi to me this year. My grandma never imposed, she just always had a way of being there, a constant comfort. Her place was where I went anytime I needed to decompress, let my hair down or just be in good company. I think of her often and, with all those signs, I felt like she really wanted me to know that she was thinking of me too; a constant comfort, just as always.