Signs
When I was young, my uncle taught me to play blackjack. He would get down on the floor with me, pull a bunch of dimes out of his pocket, and teach me when to hit and when to stand. I was ready for Vegas before I turned 10. He also taught me to balance a spoon on my nose and make fart noises with my armpits.
I’m sure my parents were thrilled 😊
(Just kidding, they probably WERE thrilled that someone was holding my attention!)
My uncle died in June after his final (of many) battles with cancer, the last of which was just one time too many. He kept his same spirit and humor right up to the end.
Like many will tell you, even though you know it’s coming, it doesn’t make it any easier when it happens. I like to think our spirits may have passed right by each other, as he died the night I was flying to London so perhaps for some brief moment in time, we were up in the same night sky together.
A few weeks later, I was out walking and saw a dime on the ground. I have found many a penny in my lifetime, and sometimes the occasional quarter (extra exciting), but have almost never found a dime, who knows why.
I picked it up, thought of my uncle, and put it in my pocket.
Oddly enough, this happened three more times in the months since his death. The coin that I’ve almost never found has found its way into my path over and over.
After that first time, I thought – this just doesn’t feel like a coincidence. It feels like a sweet little hello, a nod back to our games of blackjack, from my uncle to me.
Is it a sign from him? Is it just a story to tell myself in times of missing him?
And…if they both bring comfort…does it matter?
