___God wink–“An event or personal experience, often identified as a coincidence, so astonishing that it is seen as a sign of divine intervention.” ~From yourdictionary.com* ___ ___
Life delights us sometimes in the most unexpected moments, especially when we quiet our minds and open our hearts to the magic of miracles.
My friend, Ellen, who passed away last week at age 48, saw every day as a miracle.
The mourning of her death extended recently to thoughts of her family. Imagine (like many are dealing with in this pandemic) not being able to gather people together to honor the life of someone you love, due to the social distancing restrictions and stay-at-home orders now in place.
The family creatively came up with a solution. They asked, for those felt moved to do so, to go to their “favorite safe location” and remember Ellen at 11 a.m. last Friday, the same time the family would be gathering together in their own ways in her honor. “Walk barefoot in the grass, play a song, say a prayer, tell a story, sing, dance! Ellen would want you to remember her in your own special way,” they suggested.
Then, another friend pulled together an online book for the family to see later. She asked us to post pictures of where we went or what we did to honor Ellen, and add any memories we had of her.
I took myself lakeside, sat on an Adirondack chair, with flowers and a heart-shaped painting beside me, and watched the ducks float by. I stayed for two hours, hoping to connect with Ellen’s spirit. A heart-shaped cloud passed overhead. What a gift! I took pictures of the tranquil scene before and above me, and later in the day uploaded them to the family’s online album.
The following day, I took a long walk, to release more of my grief and remember all I learned from knowing Ellen, a talented artist. As I was returning home, a tiny pink stone with sparkles appeared in the same spot where I had seen a Copperhead snake cross my path only two days earlier.
I took it as a God wink. On top of the stone (pictured at the top of this blog post) were the words INSPIRE and at the bottom right corner, the word karma. I felt Ellen’s spirit in the moment, stopping me in my tracks, to remember her creativity and joy of life.
One of the definitions of inspire, according to Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “to influence, move, or guide by divine or supernatural inspiration.”
I believe in that moment of spotting the stone that Ellen wanted me, and all others who knew her, to move forward, and live our best lives, just as she modeled for us throughout her short time on this Earth.
With blessings and deep gratitude,
Gail
*The term “God wink” is attributed to SQuire Bushnell, author of When God Winks at You: How God Speaks Directly to You Through the Power of Coincidence.
Gail Kauranen Jones is an intuitive coach, gifted wordsmith and inspiring teacher who has been leading others through transformation for more than twenty years. She is the author of two books, Cancer as a Love Story: Developing the Mindset for Living, and To Hell and Back…Healing Your Way through Transition. Both books were met with rave reviews on Amazon and elsewhere.
She recently appeared as a guest “worthiness coach” on CBS TV’s award-winning talk show The Doctors and on Sirius FM Radio. Her articles and “tips” on worthiness have also appeared several times in Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper.
She has taught many leading-edge workshops at top spas and wellness centers. She now leads Zoom group coaching programs and is a guest speaker at many related events.
Gail lives a passionate and simple life writing, hiking, connecting in meaningful ways, aligning in joyful collaboration and thriving in nature.