Spiritual Happenings

I know that you may think I am crazy, BUT, I feel that quite often, divine intervention happens in my life. I have guardian angels that help me remember things, I have a parking angel that rarely fails me and I have inspiration that pops into my life at just the right moments.

This kind of thing happened just the other day and this is the tale of that small but significant guidance I receive -- almost on a daily basis.

I decided to put "saying goodbye" into Google. Ever since Alanna's illness and other turns of events in my life I have recognized that saying goodbye is just as much a part of life as saying hello. And, I have known that there are many ways to say goodbye and I wanted to explore this concept.

The first search brought an article about hospice and had great advice on how to say good bye at the end of a loved one's life. This article reminded me of times with Mama and her interesting last night with us. I thought it had some good things to say about the process and reminded me that things like touch and assurance are key to the good bye process.

I then checked out a blog by Seth Godin. He was talking about how a restaurant was there one minute and gone the next ( a restaurant that he liked very much) and his point was that goodbyes are desired and needed. OK article but, not really what I was looking for. HOWEVER, on the left hand side, under Seth's web pages, there was a blog titled, "The Dip Blog".

Now those of you who know me, know that I have a thing for the word dip. Please bear with me while I tangentially tell another story. My mom gave me a beater car before she moved to Albuquerque to live with my sister Alanna. The car sat for a long time before I finally got the title transferred into my name and got license plates. This happened shortly after my mom died from lung cancer.

I remember smiling to myself when I got the license plates from the clerk. The word DIP with a few numbers was spelled out. The plate reminded me of a gift from my mom. When I was a kid she gave me a pretend road sign with the word DIP on it. She gave the my sisters signs too- ones that said "wrong way, u-turn etc." I am not sure there was any significance to the actual words given to each of us- but calling me a dip would not be too far fetched in my relationship with her. She had a very interesting sense of humor.

Anyway, ever since the purchase of the license plates, I have seen other license plates with the word DIP on them. Usually it comes into my consciousness as I am day dreaming and start to focus. Usually, the car with the plates is right in front of mine. After seeing one a day for about 10 days, it dawned on me that this was a way that Mama was "with me" on my journey each day. I shed quite a few tears on that day. I tend to do that when I realize the "truth". So, I have a knowing that she is with me regularly and keeps watch over me- either that or the folks in prison in Ohio are having a laugh, knowing that they are populating cars with DIP license plates all over town.

So, back to my original story. I happened on this DIP blog by Seth Godin that lead me to his "the dip" book. Now this is no ordinary book and even the book description gave me inspiration-- needed at that moment. The wisdom contained within was mainly focused on knowing when to quit something and when to look for the dip moment so you can work through it and ultimately reap rewards. He says it much more eloquently than I. But, I am recognizing the uniquely difficult and wonderful opportunities I face right at this moment. Discernment, faith and bravery are at the cusp of this wisdom. How will it go? Nobody really knows.

I just revel in the fact that some one's got my back and is really there for me. Blessings come in strange packages...... and, I have the audacity to take them any way I can!