Signs from Above

One more thing that I think is worth mentioning...I truly believe that once our loved ones pass...there are signs that they send to us letting us know that they are okay. I have experienced a few with my grandparents...and more recently Gooner and I just wanted to share them. Some may think that these are coincidence, and they may be, but I like to think that they are watching over us! :)

Grandpa Reintjes - My Grandpa was a funny guy who endured so much in his life. He lost his leg in WWII, but that didn't slow him down at all, infact - I think it made him stronger. He died of a heart attack (or something of the like), and for years before his final days he was never allowed to eat pickles (because of the sodium). I was living with my parents and one night I awoke from a deep sleep and saw him sitting on my dog, Maggie's kennel. He had both legs and was eating a pickle! Normally, I would think that this was a dream, but my dog Maggie started to bark...I wasn't scared, in fact - I felt a sense of happiness come over me. I knew he was safe, happy, health and...eating pickles.

Grandma Reintjes - My Grandma had a very hard time after my grandpa died. We became very close and to this day I think of her often. When I was in college at SCSU, I lived off campus at this old brick house. My diabetes wasn't the best, so I was tired often. After my 2 p.m. class, I went home and took a nap. I set my alarm because I knew I had to make it to Affinity Plus (my bank) before it closed at 4 p.m. otherwise I wouldn't have any money for the weekend. By mistake, I set my alarm for 3:30 a.m. - so when I woke up, I was completely panicked that it was 3:50. Finding a parking spot on campus was complete hell - but I jumped in my car and raced there all the way saying, Please God, let them be open - PLEASE! I parked my car outside the door (in a no parking zone) and ran inside to the credit union in Atwood. To my surprise, the door wasn't closed yet, I raced in there and said, "Can I please cash this check?" Out of breath and about ready to cry, the lady behind the counter asked, "Sure...you must be Sarah Hawkins." I stopped instantly. "Yes, I am, how did you know?" Now...mind you - I was alone at my house, my parents had NO idea that I was running that low on money and to my knowledge I didn't place any calls that afternoon. The lady said, "Oh, your grandmother called and said you were on your way." Hmmm...my grandmother? The lady responded, "Well, I assumed it was your Grandmother - she was an older lady." At any rate, I was able to cash my check and be okay for the weekend. As I was leaving the bank I checked my cell phone, maybe I called and said I was on my way when I was just waking up (It takes me a bit to focus and if my voice was raspy...well, I could be mistaken for an older lady) Nope - call log was clear. I called my Grandma Ruth in Michigan to ask her if she called. Nope, she didn't. All that I can think of was that my angel Grandma Caddy was looking over me and somehow was able to get the message across to Affinity Plus.

Gooner...He has only been gone for a few days, but here's some interesting happenings...First, just to give you an idea...Gooner is the kind of guy where he would want us to go on with our lives, he wouldn't want us to dwell on his death or the fact that we miss him so much, he would want us to move on with our lives.

#1 ) On February 14, I was at home sick. To pass the time, I thought about Gooner, which led me to our caller ID. I would often look at the call log and remember the times that he called and just smile. One other call on our log was the call on January 24 at 12:30 a.m. - the call we received to let us know that he had died. All other calls were there, except for that one! I thought, maybe Parish erased that call - so I called and asked him. Nope. He didn't. Then that same day, I remembered that Parish's watch he got for Christmas from my sister needed its battery changed, and since I was already going to the drug store, I could pick up a battery too. When I looked at his watch, my mouth dropped open. It stopped on 10:38 - that's exactly the time that Gooner died...10:38 p.m.

#2) Then, this last week...Parish and I went to the doctor on Tuesday night. Parish is the only person that I know of that has the first name "Parish." As we were checking in and they were reading Parish's blood pressure a guy stepped up to the check-in desk and said, "I work for a trucking company and hurt my arm tonight at work." The nurse said, "Okay, can I get your first name" The man answered....you guessed it - PARISH. Weird!! I think that it was Gooner's way of letting us know that he was with us.

When little signs like that pop up in my life, I smile...It's comforting to me and I hope I continue to see these signs for as long as I live...coincidence or not.