signs and wonders

 I

 I have written before about the time I spent on a gurney waiting for my first colonoscopy. Alone and scared I felt something laying by my side fitting perfectly. It was my deceased dog, Cooper. I was comforted and told no one. Surely I conjured. That is until I went on Facebook later that day and found my dog's picture taken 5 years before, and by happenstance, posted that day.

The nudges and signs that say that my beloved husband is still with us have been written about here. And it amazes me that this Advent when I was leading a group at church, one of the points I was trying to make was from something John O'Donohue wrote about: 

"....though the deceased cannot reappear, they continue to be near us and part of the healing of grief is the refinement of our hearts whereby we come to sense their loving nearness. When we ourselves enter the eternal world and come to see our lives on earth in full view, we may be surprised at the immense support with which our departed loved ones have accompanied every moment of our lives." Little did I know the comfort those words would bring me. Was I brought to this understanding by chance?

 I'm pretty sure that the nuns told us not to look for signs and I haven't. They just seem to fall from the sky. I have a dear niece that lost her Mother recently, John's sister. She does ask for signs when missing her family. Today she asked for a sign from John, her uncle, and an hour later while walking her dog she met another lady, unknown to her, walking her dog. They chatted and Aileen asked the dog's name. Cooper.

You may dismiss this as co-incidence, I will allow it except for this. A friend texted me from Florida today and showed me the bookstore she was in. We are both book freaks. I asked her to tell me what she bought. A half hour later, I saw that her new book was one I knew well, "A Walk Across America" by Peter Jenkins. Odd that. I fell in love with that book years ago and the dog who walked by the author's side stole my heart. So I named my precious puppy after him. Can you guess? 

"In their new, transfigured presence their compassion, understanding and love take on a divine depth, enabling them to become secret angels guiding and sheltering the unfolding of our destiny." John O'Donohue.