What Do You See?

July 4th is a big day in these United States. It’s a day off from work typically spent with family and friends in backyards or beaches barbecuing, having fun and looking ahead to the fireworks once it gets dark. It’s a celebration of our freedom, granted to us by the vision of our forefathers nearly 250 years ago.

Have you ever spotted a bird in a tree or saw a cloud formation you tried to point out to someone else and they just can’t see it? Or the opposite happens and you can easily see the same things and get excited about it? It’s really about perception, what we see in the natural or what our imaginations allow. The sky is never the limit, your vision is.

The morning of the 4th of July my dad and I ventured out to buy some fireworks. He was visiting from out of state and wanted to replenish the ones he had blown off the night before. We don’t normally spend this holiday together, but the recent unexpected passing of my brother brought my dad to be in the company of family and one (me) who understands his loss. We set out for a place we had been the day before to purchase the same type of items and hit traffic that was not moving. We figured it was an early parade and rerouted to get around it. No luck, we encountered another back up and decided to turn around and do without. A few minutes later I asked him to pull into a gas station so I could get a coke.

As I opened the cooler and reached for a bottle, I quickly noticed the 6-8 bottles on the shelf were all facing inside towards the cooler, except for one. As my eyes turned big as saucers, I grabbed my dad and said, “Look at this!” “What, Jill?” “Dad, look at the bottles!” As he scanned trying to see what I was seeing, his eyes finally settled on the one that was facing out and saw it. There was a name on the label. It said “Alex”, the name of my brother who had died only three weeks earlier. I reached in and turned the bottle next to it and it said “Seth”, so did the one on the other side. Seth is the name of Alex’s best friend. We bought all three bottles.

As we drove away we spoke about seeing signs from our loved ones; the many ways the Heaven’s say hello and bring us comfort. Although this loss is fresh for my dad, he has already recognized some things. I know a lot of people who have lost loved ones and each has a specific sign they associate with that person. The signs vary from bald eagles, to dragonflies, sunflowers, monarch butterflies, moths, hawks, rainbows, falling stars, songs or even certain phrases. Each time a family member or someone close to the loved one sees the sign, it’s as if the one who died is saying hello.

The afternoon of the 4th was glorious. We were at my cousins home on the beach, basking in the sun, kayaking, swimming and conversing with family, friends and neighbors doing the same. Eventually I went back to the house to eat dinner and freshen up. With a full belly, I headed back to the beach and was treated to an incredible sunset. About the time the sun was falling below the horizon, a strong thunderstorm was rolling in and created some fantastic cloud formations and colors in the sky. I sent my friend’s six-year-old son back to the house ahead of me as the lightning was getting too close for comfort. As someone whose house has been struck, I know all too well the unpredictably, especially being near the water. It didn’t take long for the beach to empty as the boats and people had scrambled away to escape the storm.

A short time later, it was dark as midnight in a moonless sky as the rain poured down. The thunder was booming and the lightning was impressive (from the safety of the house) striking from cloud to cloud and cloud to ground across the water. There were about nine of us in the house when the power went out. Oooohhs and ahhhhs came from our mouths as the storm lit up the outside. We scoped out places to watch out the windows. We talked about the storm and other times they had claimed power in the past. The six-year-old was excited to use his glow sticks to help us see and some of us took to snacking on what was left on the counter. We all agreed, it was nice to just be in each other’s company and not distracted by electronics as we rode out the storm and genuinely enjoyed the time.  It reminded me of when I was a little girl and the storm sirens would sound off. My mom would give each of us four kids (and any others who happened to be in the house) a spoon and grab the gallon bucket of ice cream and send us to the basement. We would sit together on the floor and happily eat directly from the bucket, completely distracted from the storm.

The worst of the storm blew past and the rain lightened up. I started to hear fireworks and discovered the show down the beach was starting despite the rain! I positioned myself on the path to the beach so I had a full view. I didn’t care about getting a little wet, I wanted to see the fireworks. My cousin joined me a few minutes later and brought a raincoat big enough to cover both of our heads. As the variety of bursts and flames exploded in the sky, lightning would strike behind, creating a magnificent visual canvas. I don’t think I have ever “ooohhed and ahhhed” so much in my life!! What a sight! Although the mosquitos were feasting on our exposed skin, it was worth every itch and scratch we suffered!

Vision and perception are personal and based on our own experiences. It’s been said that in order for one to receive, you have to believe. I am a believer in signs of all kinds. A vision can birth a nation, spot a greeting from a loved one on a bottle of coke, find peace in the darkness or see God’s handiwork through fireworks. I do my best to see the world through the eyes of my heart and share with those around me. I don’t think my visions will birth a nation, but so long as I believe, I have the freedom to receive.