I am always saying “Pay attention to the Signs” – here is a little ditty that happened to me over the holidays! My Mom was surely with me and made her presence known to me.
About a week before Christmas I was driving home for lunch to let my dogs out. To distract me from the holiday traffic I clicked on the radio. Automatically programmed to Sirius. I flipped through my 6 favorite channels and found nothing I was really interested in hearing and I clicked on the regular FM radio, something I rarely do if ever. The song on the station was the end of Frosty the Snowman singing “Saying don’t you cry; I’ll be back again someday”. I clicked the next station and the same song, same verse was playing, I clicked again and for a third time, same song, same verse; ending with Frosty screaming “I’ll be back on Christmas Day”! Immediately I thought about my Mother and knew I should pay attention. That was just too coincidental for me to ignore. I knew instantly that she was sending me a message that she would be with me on Christmas Day.
I know I wrote about this in another article, but more was revealed to me on Christmas Day after I wrote about this. I know some people may think that it was wishful thinking on my part as I of course was missing my Mother and it is the holidays and of course we miss those that have passed.
Typical “ME” I forgot about Frosty the Snowman as Christmas approached. My To-Do list a mile long and the big day quickly approaching, the last thing on my mind was obsessing over hearing this song three times that day. Fast forward to Christmas Eve, I was entertaining all of my Nieces and Nephews at my home; we were enjoying a lovely time, when my Great-Nephew Devin turns to me and asks “Hey, Kimber, what are you wishing for this Christmas”? Stunned that he called me Kimber I immediately replied with “Why did you call me that”? He looked puzzled and asked “Called you what”? “Kimber, you called me Kimber”. “Ummm, No I did not, I called you Kim”, he said. That is when everyone looked at him and said “No, you called her Kimber”. Let me explain: “Kimber” was my Mother’s affectionate name that she would call ME, when she was being, uh well, Affectionate; which was few and far between. Nobody even really knew this little fun fact as she mainly referred to me as Kimber when I was a small child and nobody currently present was alive during those years. It would not be the first time that someone in my family has spoken words of a deceased loved one’s phrases unknowing to themselves that they did it and then had no recollection of those words coming out of their mouths. To me that is just a way that they let me know they are with me and thinking of me. The Kimber thing at this point is just a weird coincidence- Coincidence Noted!
Christmas morning my daughter and I are making our rounds and getting ready to make a visit to take a wreath to the family cemetery, when we made a quick pit stop to share gifts with some loved ones. I am handed a gift and in big, bold black magic marker it shows “Kimber” written on the package. Given by another person who is clueless about my nickname. Coincidence number 2 Noted!
We made our way to Valley Forge to our family cemetery and during our drive my daughter started talking about her Paternal Grandfather and how she does not remember where he is buried because she was so young. I replied without hesitation “Lansdale”. “You cannot know that Mom, you were not even there”, she said. Somewhere in my mind I knew it was Lansdale. The conversation continued as we approached the old 17th Century Cemetery where my family is, we placed the wreath, said our Merry Christmases and climbed back into the car for the long drive home, when I asked my daughter “Would you like to go find your Grandfather’s grave”? With total elation, she began looking up his obituary from nearly 2 decades ago. The beauty of the internet. She located the information and we were only 30 minutes from his resting place. On to the Turnpike we went, all the while she is trying to contact her father to locate the grave location and more information. Nada, no answer.
We arrive in Lansdale and pull into what appears to be another 17th Century Cemetery, as we wind through the narrow path we came upon the newer section and I park. We took the divide and conquer approach and start searching. I found him and Krystal came running. We pay our respects and placed a lichen covered piece of bark on his headstone and proceed to leave when I trip over the headstone directly in front of my Father-In-Law’s grave and written on the headstone was the surname “KIMBER”. Now, come on, seriously? Coincidence # 3 is no longer a coincidence in my realm. This is a direct Sign that my Mother was with me on Christmas Day and this was her way of letting me know, under no uncertain circumstances as this was her as this was her term of endearment for me; this was her! How else can I explain the 3 coincidences and how I just had the last minute idea to visit a grave of someone that I had never visited previously? There is no explanation.
Spirit will place markers in front of us. They place ideas in our heads, that we mistake as our own. They play songs on the radio, they lead us to overhear conversations that include a word or phrase that only they said, or prompt us to change the channel so we can hear or see something that reminds us of them. We will see literal signs on the side of the road or a bus or a license plate that shows they are with us. Always pay attention to the signs, you never know who may be trying to contact you!
Now my logical mind always sifts through these coincidences and tries to always find a logical explanation. I just do not always go with the ethereal flow. I ride the fence of the Magical and Logical and the Overly Analytical. So I took it upon myself at the prompting of a friend that said “The surname Kimber is not really that common” and I looked up the name on 411.com and there were only 100 phone listings in the entire United States with the surname Kimber. You decide, was it a coincidence?
Although, it is comforting thinking that she really was trying to get that message to me, it will never replace a good, long hug or her smell or holding her beautiful hand; I love knowing that she is still with me and I think she has still been hanging around as our Beagle pup was playing with an invisible playmate last Sunday, standing on his hind legs, pawing at the air, sitting and offering his paw and finally rolling onto his back for a spiritual belly rub. It had to be a friendly spirit as the Beagle is a big scardy cat baby with everything. I am reminded today as I viewed my TimeHop, she posted to my Facebook wall a premonition saying “You do not know this yet, but you will miss me someday”. How correct she was and how perfect for me to write about my Christmas miracle today and how my Mother brought me the best Christmas present ever!