Spiritual Signs – Joanne Jamis Cain

I tend to watch for signs in nature as a way of looking for God. In the past when I had problems that needed to be sorted out, I found solace many times in my own back yard. For instance, if I am troubled about something, I can usually look out my window and there will be one or more deer. Some times they come close to my house; other times they are at a distance. For me deer mean comfort, wait, or it will all work out.

What if everything and everyone we come in contact with in a given day is spiritually directed? What if God puts people and objects in our lives and in our path to comfort, strengthen, and lead us? Or maybe interaction with others is for a reason. We are there to provide assistance in some way. I believe God gives us free will to do what we please, but if we pay attention, we will be reinforced or led in good choices through spiritual direction.

When I do something I am proud of (and outside of my comfort zone), wild turkeys usually appear. Once I did a large amount of work for a non profit and nine wild turkeys made a procession through my yard the day after the fundraiser. It never fails. If I am stretching myself spiritually, I will usually see turkeys.

If I am lost or need strength I look for birds of flight. They will sometimes fly near to my car when I am driving. If they are red or blue (cardinals or blue jays), I especially pay attention. Long woodpeckers (pileated) are a rare sighting and usually cause for me to stop what I am doing and stare. I have several hawks that fly around my house. My spiritual friend Kathy witnessed this once and said, “It is a very powerful totem to have hawks around you.” I agree. I am never scared by them, I am empowered by them.

So it was that on the day of my future granddaughter’s shower, there were signs. The first one was around 9:30am in the morning when Jim and I were loading the truck. A tiny bird with a black head flew into the house. I’m guessing it was a chickadee. Now in the thirty four years of living in my house, I can’t remember a single instance when a bird has flown in. Jim didn’t remember anything either.

The bird flew into the living room and straight for the large picture window. Jim opened the front door and propped open the storm door. He lifted our wooden slat blinds gently towards him, allowing the tiny bird an opportunity for escape. She took it and flew out to freedom.

Now you may have thought this was a huge inconvenience. You’re loading a truck, getting ready for a big day, and a bird flies into your house! And for a split second I thought this way. Then I laughed and said to Jim, “That is either my yiayia (grandmother) or my father.” When we went outside, there was an entire clammoring tree of birds, singing at the top of their lungs. What was this? A chorus perhaps, to set the tone for the day.

The second sign I had was when I arrived at the location for the shower. I parked the truck next to the ramp at the nature center so my daughter and I (and Stephanie our helper) could unload. I got out of the truck and looked down. There was a brand new shiny copper penny at my feet.

My future granddaughter’s name is Penelope Katherine. Penny is one of the nicknames we could call her.

I picked up that shiny penny and thought yet another beautiful sign.

As the morning went on, we managed to get everything ready in time. Guests came from near and far to bestow gifts on Jess and John for Penelope. We ate awesome cookies, cupcakes, and snacks. It was a wonderful day.

Here’s what spiritual signs do for me. They comfort me, they reinforce God’s great love for me. When I love myself, I can love others unconditionally. Spiritual signs tell me I am going in the right direction. I thank God for them.