That fork in the road

Spring brings about so much beauty.  The flowers pictured above are blooming on trees downtown.  These trees, are just stunning.

Every Spring, I have to get skin test for Tuberculosis.  It's one of the requirements for being approved to receive Remicade treatments.  My understanding is that some patients after being treated with Remicade.  For that reason, I have to be tested every year.  It's a quick test really.  They poke you with a needle to make an air bubble under the skin and you have to have the area looked at 48-72 hours later.  That's the most annoying part really.  The test takes a minute and so does getting it "read".  Given that my doctor's office isn't close to where I work, I don't like asking the afternoon off for something that should take just a minute.  Last year, I went while I was still on maternity leave and brought Preston with me.  This year, I found that I could have the test done at a clinic, so I did that.  There's a clinic inside the supermarket near our house.  It has convenient hours and of course, it's minutes from home!  So I went this weekend for the poke of the needle since I knew I'd be able to go back Tuesday after work.

When I get off the highway, the road forks at the end of the exit.  I usually go right to go home.  I had to go left to go to the clinic.  Left, was also the way I went to go pick up Preston from daycare.  I haven't gone left from the highway in over a year.  It was tough to sit there, behind a line of cars waiting to go once the light changed.  It took 3 turns of the light by the way... it felt like torture.

I was right back to last year, as I awaited for the light to change to green so that I could go pick up my baby and take him home.  He was always happy to see me.  It was wonderful.  I haven't wanted to go back that way since losing him.  It's one of those triggers I guess.  A reminder of what is no more, not that I really need to be reminded.

Things changed in the blink of an eye.  When I finally was able to turn left, a card had to merge in front of me since there was construction and one of the lanes was closed up ahead.  The car was a Mini Cooper which my husband always talks about.. and the license plate was from North Carolina.  Yesterday, my hubby flew out to North Carolina for work.  Serendipity at it's best... a sweet little sign from my son saying, I'm watching over Daddy while he's away.  Mama thanks you baby boy.

Serendipidy

I went shopping this weekend.  I enjoy getting a few new items for my wardrobe when a new season rolls around.  I also need new shoes.  Caveat?  I dislike shoe shopping. Oh so much!  You know that little known fact that all women love shoes?  Not for this one.  I think it probably stems from having such a hard time finding shows that fit.  My feet are odd.  They're small, but they are wide.  I also can't stand to have anything between my toes, so those shoes that have the toe separator, drive me nuts.  When I finally find something cute, it's not wide enough for my foot.  It's really frustrating.  But I needed shoes, so I tried on several pairs.  Didn't find anything that fit, or that I liked.  Looked at boots too, because I need a pair of winter boots.  I found this cute little pair, and figured, why not, try them on.  So I looked for the right box.  Well, when I found the box for the corresponding boots and saw the name.. I just knew I'd be buying them.  Like fate, they fix like a glove.

 

So on day 26 of my 30 days of gratitudes challenge, I am grateful for serendipity.  Thankful for flukes, and coincidences that happen to us throughout the course of our days.  The happy accidents of fate. 

 

Serendipity is around us and sometimes we are just too involved in our every day lives to notice.  Funny that I had a thought today at work.  Slow down.  Slow down to avoid the mistakes.  Slow down to take notice.  This is something I think we all could do a little more of every day.  Brett and I went to Lowes a week ago to buy something to cover the garden with this snow was in the forecast.  As we exited the garden center, a noise caught my attention, so I turned around to see a great horned owl.  How majestic!  I had never seen one.  The pictures aren't great because it was hard to get close to the owl, but it was still such a strange thing to see at the hardware store!  Yet, it felt like such a blessing to see something so magnificent.  It's wing span was so huge.  I'm thankful for the chance sighting!

 

I promise myself to slow down more often for the off chance of stumbling into something amazing.  Something that makes me feel blessed to be alive.  Something that makes me feel awe at our amazing world.  Our world is filled with wonders and we don't even notice.  Don't let the amazing things pass you by, you just never know, when they will be gone forever.  Preston was one of those wonders and I am fortuitous to be able to call myself his mama.  The wonderment of seeing him again one day is limited to the kingdom of Heaven.  In the meantime, I will rejoice in the serendipity around me... they might all just be signs from my son saying "look mama, isn't the world beautiful?"