Dear Reader:

Yesterday I had an email from Susan…concerning a strange coincidence that happened to her… in regard to the very recent death of her younger sister, Wanda, from Covid complications this past weekend. She wrote:

“This may seem silly, but the night before Mom died…she asked me to take her to buy a new coffee pot to replace the one that wasn’t working anymore. 

We did that , and she set it up to use the next morning. Of course by then she was gone. 

Yesterday morning, my coffee maker died. 

I’m hoping that’s Mom and Wanda’s attempt to let me know they are together and okay.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

I didn’t think it sounded “silly” at all…instead it brought back memories of loved ones I have lost and “coincidences” that befell me too…soon after their departure.

In fact I would bet that a majority of you reading the post today are nodding your heads and perhaps have experienced a similar incident… that happened to you soon after the loss of a loved one.

(* Please feel free to share any of these incidents with our post readers…I would love to hear them too!)

Maybe, like Susan and I discussed, it is simply us wanting so badly to get a sign that our loved one is in a better place and surrounded by others he/she loved on this side of life. Still…since it happens to so many people…I can’t help but believe it is a true sign from their permanent new home to our old transient one…asking us not to be sad because… they aren’t sad any longer.

I told Susan that my favorite story …my sign from mother…came years after her departure. It had to do with her prosthesis…her artificial “hand” that was attached to her for almost forty years.

The “hand” I remember was actually a World War II model that was given thousands of American soldiers who lost their hands or arms fighting overseas. We discovered this after mother had to have her gallbladder removed. Her assigned surgeon was so excited to see her prosthesis…he hadn’t seen one except in museums in a long time.

When mother died…the first decision I made was that the prosthesis would NOT be buried with her….Mom had worn that heavy extra appendage long enough…she was free now of it and all the heartaches of life she had endured…she no longer needed it…she was flying light and was perfect in every way.

But I didn’t know what to do with it…I put it in an old suitcase and forgot about it for over a decade. Then one day I started throwing out “stuff” and glanced in the old suitcase before tossing it.

There was the prosthesis. What to do ….people with missing limbs today have computerized artificial appendages made of much lighter fiber materials with even computerized movable fingers…not heavy metal and rubber like mother’s hand that was stationary and worn only for appearance.

I finally found a store that sold prostheses and took the hand with me. Once again…I was met with a gasp…the owner had not seen the rubber/metal “model” with leather strap in decades. I told him I didn’t know if he wanted it or not but I didn’t know what to do with it…he wanted it.

A couple of months passed…apparently he had cleaned up the rubber and repaired the leather strap…he had it in a cabinet in the front office.

An older man came in, one day, and started asking him about the story behind it…the customer was told how he came to own it…and the gentleman wanted to know how much for it…his father had been a decorated war hero and had one similar to it…they had buried it with him…but he wanted to have it as keepsake in his father’s memory…ironically he ,too, had lost part of his hand in a mechanical accident and had one of the newest types of prostheses but wanted mother’s for his family’s history.

The dealer called me to let me know that mother’s “hand” had found a happy home with someone who appreciated history and the sacrifices made for home and country. It made me happy to know that mother’s situation was also one of selflessness while raising three young children without a hand too…a sacrifice for “home” and country. A perfect ending for the “hand”…mom really didn’t need it any way…that woman could do more with one hand than I have ever been able to do with two! 🙂

So until tomorrow…“True faith, a simple life, a helping hand- the three things prized most in heaven.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

A shout-out to my nephew Lee….Happy Birthday TODAY-JANUARY 19, 2021! (Born on Robert E. Lee’s birthday….)

I am very proud of Lee’s musical career…along with his and Vikki’s endeavors to give back to the community and Charleston at-large through their musical talents and free radio endeavors. They are always involved in a new project  helping different organizations with new ideas.

This year for his birthday…Lee is participating in raising money for the Wounded Warrior Project. So proud of you Lee! I know Ben is. Lee’s’s on Facebook if interested in participating. (Lee Barbour)

Playing the Covid “Blues” …but with a jazzy twist…and masks! 🙂