Last week, I found two rubber bands on the ground by my mailbox. Logically, I know they were most likely dropped there by our mail person when she was unwrapping the bundles of mail before putting them I our mailboxes – but I am going to choose to think it’s a little “hello” from my dad when I really needed it.
My dad was fastidious – some might say obsessed – about keeping his home office organized. He would print, file, label, and bundle important documents together. In his desk drawer of supplies, he had a jar of rubber bands and if asked, he would say “you can’t run an office without rubber bands.” They held everything together, kept it in one place, and made it easy to group things together. It was a running joke with the family – but now, seeing rubber bands randomly takes on special meaning.
Writer Charles Mashburn wrote a sweet poem called “Pennies from Heaven” where he said that whenever you saw a penny on the ground that it was a sign that a loved one in heaven was thinking of you. I have friends that think everything from dimes to red birds to noticing certain numbers on a clock are all signals from family members that have passed. I believe that they are.
Much like when I am diligent about writing down five things I am grateful each day, I find what I am looking for. When I am looking for good things to add to the list, I see goodness everywhere. When I am out of the habit, I can start to get gloomy and focused on only the negative or what I don’t have. If I am feeling disconnected or missing Dad more than usual and decide to look for rubber bands, I’ll probably find them – especially if I put one on my own wrist, like I did today.
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