I was struggling to carry several grocery bags up the front walk. Standing at the bottom of the porch steps, still holding all the bags and trying to get my house keys out of my pocket, when the front door opened.

“Do you need help?” My son Alex asked.

“I’ve got it.” I said as I struggled up the front step and into the house. “I’m afraid if let go of any of them they’re all going to go.”

Getting into the kitchen I lifted my arms and placed all the bags on the counter top. “Whew!” I took a deep breath. “They were heavy!”

Alex had closed the front door and came into the kitchen. “Why didn’t you call me to come get some of them or at least make two trips?”

I shook my head and frowned. “What would be the challenge in that?”

“Challenge?” Alex began unloading the bags.

“Seeing if I can get an entire grocery carts worth of food into the house at once.” I rubbed my arms where the bags had hung from. “A couple of bruises are going to be popping up in the morning. I can just feel it.”

Alex was putting the frozen food away. “Well, I’m glad I saw you coming and I could get the door at least.”

I gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I love coming home to a doorman building.”

Alex laughed as he went back to the grocery bags and began unloading more. “I wouldn’t call it a doorman building.”

“I would!” I put the bread away in the cabinet. “Your Aunt Lizzy couldn’t wait to live in a doorman building when she was in the city!” I tossed him a box of crackers for him to put away. “There was always someone there to open the door for you. Someone to accept packages when you weren’t home. Always standing guard making you feel safe.” I looked over at Alex. “With you working from home I get all those benefits!”

Alex looked over and shrugged his shoulders. “I guess.”

“Not only do you open the door for me when I get home, I also don’t have to worry that a package is going to be left out in the rain.” I reached in another bag and took out the lettuce, celery, and carrots. opened the refrigerator, and put them in the vegetable drawer. “When I come home the package is sitting on the chair near the door so I can see it as soon as I walk in.”

Alex nodded his head. “That’s true.”

“I also don’t have to worry about intruders because you’re almost always here!” I leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “It’s like having my own personal Queen’s guard!”

Alex laughed as he folded an empty bag. “Okay, let’s not get carried away!”

“Okay, maybe not the Queen’s guard but definitely a doorman building!” I was folding my own empty bag when I looked up and saw Alex looking at me with his eyebrows raised. “What?” I asked.

“Didn’t you say Aunt Lizzy used to tip her doormen?”

Now it was my turn to laugh. “Yes, she did. But that was at Christmas. My doorman gets tipped every night with dinner!”

“That sounds fair.” Alex laughed then scooped up the bags and grabbed my car keys. “I’ll put the bags back in your car.”

I went and opened the front door for him giving him another kiss on the cheek as he passed me. “Looks like someone’s working towards an extra helping of pasta tonight.”

“There’s a storm a’brewing.” I said as I rubbed my hip and looked out the window.

“Really?” My son Alex took out his phone and checked his weather app. “There wasn’t any predicted in the forecast for today.”

“I don’t care what the weather app says.” I began flexing my fingers and couldn’t help but cringe as my joints felt sore. “I’m telling you it’s going to rain today.”

Alex looked out the window. “There isn’t a cloud in the sky.”

“Now that I’m getting older I’ve become a human barometer.” I rubbed my hip again. “I’m telling you rain is on the way.” I slowly walked over to the cabinet to get a glass. Then went to the sink to fill it with water. “My achy joints don’t lie my friend.”

“When did you start feeling achy?” Alex leaned against the counter.

“I woke up with it.” I took a sip of water. “But it’s only getting worse as the day goes on.”

Alex looked out the window again. “Maybe it’s not the weather that’s making you sore.” He looked over at me and took a step back. “Maybe you’re getting sick.”

I shook my head. “I can tell the difference between my aches.” I pointed to my hip. “This one is definitely weather.”

“Well, I was headed out for a walk. Do you want to come with me?” He pointed to his room. “I was just going to grab my sneakers.” He headed down the hallway. “Maybe that will make you feel better?” He called over his shoulder.

I took another sip of water before putting the glass in the dishwasher.

Alex came out of his room carrying his sneakers.

“Maybe you’re right.” I arched my back hoping that would relieve the ache. “A walk might be just what I need right now.”

We both grabbed a light jacket before heading out the door.

We’d been walking for several blocks when I felt a splash of water hit my face. I looked over at Alex. “Was that a raindrop?” I asked as I held my hand out to catch another one if it fell.

Alex looked up. “Hey! I just felt one too!”

I felt another hit my hand. “Yup! It’s definitely starting to rain.”

It began to rain harder so we both turned around to head back home.

“How can that be?” Alex asked as he looked up at the cloudless sky.

“It’s a sun shower!” I said and couldn’t help but smile. “I’ve only seen a few of these!”

We were picking up the pace of our walk as we began getting wetter.

With our house in sight Alex jogged the last few yards to open the door for me.

The rain was already beginning to let up.

“I said it was going to rain!” I laughed as I hung my damp jacket on the door knob of the coat closet. I rubbed my hip again. “I told you I’m a human barometer!”

Standing in the open doorway Alex cleared his throat. “I think your exact words were, ‘There’s a storm a’brewing’.” He pointed over his shoulder. “I don’t think a sun shower counts.”

“Hey, rain is rain.” I shrugged my shoulders and was still rubbing my hip. “That’s all that matters to these achy joints.”

Alex shook his head as he took of his jacket. “Well, now that the rain is over maybe you’ll start feeling better.”

“Nope.” I shook my head as I began rubbing the joint by my thumb. “I hate to say it but this still feels like more is on the way.”

My husband Steven and I were sitting on the couch, both of us scrolling through our phones, when I remembered something I wanted to ask him. “Hey, did you notice that our forsythia is really popping this year?”

Steven looked up confused. “Forsythia? Where do we have forsythia?”

Now I was confused. “You haven’t seen it?” I got up and went to the back door. Steven was right behind me. I stepped outside and pointed to our fence by the trash containers. “It’s been sticking out of the top of our garbage pail corral.”

“I thought I cut that down last year!”

“Cut it down! Why would you cut it down?”

Steven pointed to the forsythia. “Because it’s just a few yellow sticks growing through the fence!”

“But that’s what I like about it.” I argued. “It’s a scrappy little fighter! You said so yourself.”

Steven began shaking his head. “When did I say it was a scrappy little fighter?”

“Well, you didn’t actually use those words, but you said you cut it down last year and here it is making it’s way through the fence…” I shrugged my shoulders. “It’s a survivor!” I held up my pointer finger to make my point. “Which makes it a scrappy little fighter.” I reasoned.

Steven just sighed. “You don’t think it looks ridiculous?”

“Sure I do. But a little burst of sunshine color on a dreary day certainly makes up for how ridiculous it looks sticking through the fence like that.”

Our son Alex came out the back door. “What are you two arguing about?”

Steven pointed to the forsythia sticks poking through the fence. “Your Mom doesn’t want me to cut that down.”

I quickly interjected before Alex had a chance to respond. “Your Dad cut it down last year and yet it’s back.” I shrugged my shoulders. “I think it should get some respect for it’s survivor skills. That’s all.”

Alex laughed. “Survivor skills.”

He looked over at me and saw that I wasn’t laughing.

“Oh, you’re serious.” He stopped laughing and began backing up towards the door. “Well, you two seem to have this under control so, I’m going to head back inside and get back to work.”

Steven looked back at me and shook his head. “You realize that when I start trimming around the yard I’m going to be cutting it down again?”

“Sure.” I pointed back at the forsythia. “But right now it’s a pop of color that makes me smile.” I shrugged my shoulders. “Besides every time you cut it back it just seems to come back stronger. That’s what I call a survivor!”

“Okay. I’ll make you a deal.” Steven said.

I was feeling cautious. “What kind of deal?”

“If you stop calling it a survivor I’ll wait until after it blooms to cut it down.” He held out his hand for us to shake on it.

“Deal.” I said as I took his hand, pulling him closer so I could give him a kiss on the cheek.

I was following Steven back inside when I couldn’t help but turn around to give the forsythia one last look. “See you next year.” I whispered.

“I heard that!” Steven called over his shoulder.

“I love this time of year.” I said as I looked out our front window. “The forsythia is in full bloom, a hint of green is coming out on the willow trees, robins are running amuck all over the neighbor’s front yards…”

“And bunnies are everywhere!” Alex interrupted me as he came to stand next to me at the window.

“Where?” I scanned the yard but couldn’t see any.

“Turn around.” He took me by the shoulders and slowly spun me around. “The house is full of them!” He laughed.

I looked around the living room and into the dining room. He was absolutely right. “I do like to decorate with bunnies this time of year.” I admitted. “But you have to agree they’re adorable!” I went over to the three foot high white bunny standing in the corner holding a knockoff Faberge’ egg in his paw.

Alex did a head nod towards the bunny. “I think the sunglasses I put on him really helped his whole look.”

I laughed as I adjusted them to sit better on his face. “I have to agree with you on that one.” I went over to the dining room table that had a crystal bowl filled with multi-colored alabaster stone eggs. Picking one up I held it in the palm of my hand admiring the swirls of color. “It’s not just bunnies I like to display this time of year!” I held it out for Alex to see. “I’ve been collecting these since I was a teenager.”

Alex shook his head and started to laugh. “You certainly picked an unusual collection when you were a kid.”

I looked confused. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Alex took the egg out of my hand and held it up. “Exactly how many of your friends were collecting stone eggs when you were a teenager?”

I had to laugh “Probably none.” I took the egg out of his hand and placed it back in the bowl. “But that doesn’t mean I was weird for collecting them.”

Alex looked surprised. “I never said you were weird. I just said what you collected was unusual, that’s all.”

I looked over at him and sighed. “Now that I think about it most of my friends were reading Teen Beat and Tiger Beat magazines and decorating their wall with the posters they found in them.” I shrugged my shoulders and pointed at the crystal bowl on the dining room table. “While I was collecting alabaster eggs.”

Alex patted me on the shoulder. “Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

“I also collected wheat pennies and mechanical banks.” I shook my head and looked over at him. “I guess that was a little weird for a teenager.”

“Oh, come on.” He began patting me on the top of my head. “That doesn’t make you weird.”

I sighed again. “I was also making quilts and working with stained glass.”

Alex looked confused. “You were doing all that when you were a teenager?”

I sadly nodded my head.

“Well, it’s a little unusual but I still wouldn’t call it weird.” Alex looked around the living room. “When did you start collecting the bunnies?”

“That wasn’t until you and your brother were little. I wanted to decorate the house for the different seasons for you guys.”

He looked back over at the three foot bunny in the corner and I started to laugh. “You definitely would have thought I was weird if I’d gotten that when I was a teenager!” I said.

“Well,” Alex began slowly nodding his head. “That would have gotten you a maybe.”

I was walking into the kitchen rubbing the sleep from my eyes when my husband Steven looked over at me.

“Morning. How’d you sleep?” He asked as he poured the water into the coffee maker.

“More weird dreams.” I sighed as I went over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “And I’m exhausted.”

“What was this one about?” He took his coffee mug from the cabinet and placed it on the counter.

“I honestly can’t explain it.” I went over and filled the tea kettle with water. “I was fighting with someone I don’t remember who or even what the argument was about. I was late to wherever I was going, and I had forgotten to put on my shoes.” I shook my head and sighed again. “Not sure what that was supposed to teach me.”

Steven laughed. “I don’t think all dreams are there to teach us something.”

I shrugged my shoulders and put the kettle on the stove. “Well, I’d like to think so.”

“Well, maybe that one was telling you to set your alarm for an earlier time and have your shoes by the door so you don’t forget them?” Steven laughed as he watched his cup begin to fill with coffee.

“Very funny.” I sighed again.

Our son Alex came into the kitchen. “What was very funny?” He asked.

“Your Mom had another weird dream.” Steven said as he took a sip of coffee.

“I’m telling you it’s your anxiety.” Alex said as he began making his coffee.

“What do I have to be anxious about?” I asked.

Both Steven and Alex stopped what they’d been doing and gave me surprised looks.

“Okay fine.” I sighed. “I’m an anxious person. I get that. But this dream had me in an argument with a stranger in my own house! I was running late to wherever I was supposed to be and I looked down and saw that I’d forgotten my shoes.” I looked over at Alex. “I couldn’t even get out of the house in this dream.”

“Well, maybe that’s a good thing.” Alex leaned against the counter and took a sip of his coffee.

“Why?” Now I was confused.

“Well, I’m pretty sure if you got a chance to open the front door you’d have seen…”

I smacked my forehead with the palm of my hand as I finished the sentence for him. “The office chair waiting for me in the driveway!”

“Exactly!” Alex laughed. “How many times did you dream that one?”

I laughed and looked over at Steven. “That one was popping up almost weekly for a while there.” I shook my head at the memory. “I’d open the front door and see an office chair where my car had been parked. I’d be so mad that my car was switched with an office chair. I had to wheel myself down the street, looking over my shoulder to see where I was going!”

“See? You need to look on the bright side.” Alex shrugged his shoulders. “You haven’t had the office chair dream in a long time.”

“That’s true.” I started to yawn and quickly put my hand over my mouth to cover it. “But I’m still exhausted.” I sighed.

It had been pouring rain overnight for several hours. My husband Steven was away on a trip so I was in charge of checking the basement to see if any water came in.

When I woke up my son Alex was already in the kitchen making coffee. “How’s the basement doing?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I haven’t checked it yet.” I reached in the cabinet to get a cup for my tea.

“Really?” Alex looked surprised as he looked out the window. “When it’s raining this hard Dad usually gets up a few times during the night to make sure everything stays dry down there.”

I put my cup on the counter top. “Oh, man. I forgot he did that.” I went to check the basement. Looking through Steven’s office, the laundry room, and pantry I could see no water had come in.

When I came up from the basement Alex was leaned against the counter top sipping from his coffee cup.

“How’s it look down there?” He asked as he put the cup down and took a slice of bread and popped it in the toaster.

“So far so good.” I filled the kettle with water and put it on the stove to heat. “Man, it’s really coming down.” I said as I looked out the window over the sink. “I wonder when it’s going to stop?”

Alex grabbed his phone and checked the weather app. “I looks like it’s got about another hour and then it’s going to tamper off.”

“That’s good.” I went to fix my tea. “Looks like we’re going to make it through another storm with the basement staying dry.”

“Don’t say that!” Alex said as he buttered the toast that had just popped out of the toaster. “You’ll jinx us!”

I had to laugh. “We’ll be fine.”

Just then we heard a loud and constant chirp coming from our back porch.

We both looked out the kitchen window and saw a chipmunk sitting on the arm of our Adirondack chair safely tucked under our porch roof but chirping frantically at the rainy weather.

“He doesn’t look too happy.” I said as looked around the yard. “I wonder what’s got him so upset?”

Alex pointed to the downspout at the side of our house. “I’m pretty sure his house just got flooded.”

I looked over to where he had one of his tunnels and saw it was filled with water. “Oh, the poor little thing.” I looked over at Alex. “What should we do?”

Alex laughed. “What do you mean, ‘what should we do?’”

I pointed to the chipmunk still chirping at the storm. “He’s been flooded out of his house!”

Alex looked confused. “It’s a chipmunk. I’m pretty sure he’s been through this before.”

“But look how upset he is.” I went over to the cabinet where I kept some shelled peanuts for the wildlife and pulled out the bag. “Maybe I should toss some of these out to him?” I was holding up the bag. “Maybe a little treat might make him feel better?” I was headed to the back door.

“Wait! Don’t go out!” Alex said.

I stopped and looked over at him. “Why?”

“Because you’re going to scare him. He’s going to want to run away and he has no place to go.” Alex pointed over to his flooded tunnel.

“Oh, good point.” I looked out the window and held up the bag. “As soon as the rain stops I promise to toss some out for you!”

The chipmunk was still incessantly chirping at the storm.

Alex laughed as he patted me on the shoulder. “I’m sure he’s going to appreciate that when the storm’s finished.”

I shook the bag by the window. “Treats are coming little man!”

I had just gotten back from grocery shopping and was unloading the bags in the kitchen when my son Alex came in to help me.

I took a bottle of shampoo from a bag and was placing it on the counter when I noticed the shampoo’s directions and started to laugh. “Ah… now it’s massage on wet hair to lather. Rinse. Follow up with conditioner.” I put the bottle down, shaking my head. “When I was little the directions on the bottle were, lather, rinse and repeat.”

Alex opened the refrigerator and tossed a bag of carrots in the vegetable bin. “Why would you put shampoo in your hair twice?”

“Because that’s what the bottle said you had to do!” I opened the bag of avocados and placed them on the butcher block.

“That doesn’t make sense.” He grabbed a box of crackers off the counter top and went over to the cabinet. “Didn’t you think your hair was clean the first time?”

“Obviously not! Everyone rinsed and repeated.” I tossed him a loaf of bread to put in the cabinet next to the crackers. “Nobody realized it was the advertising companies trying to get us to use twice as much shampoo then we really needed.” I shrugged my shoulders. “We were all pretty gullible back then.”

Alex started to laugh. “So, what if they’d told you that you needed to pour some down the drain for extra shampoo luck?”

“I’m sure we would have done it!” I laughed. I pulled out the matching bottle of conditioner and placed it next to the shampoo. “Now we just lather and rinse once with shampoo but don’t forget to make sure to use the matching conditioner right after!” I laughed again.

“You really don’t have to use the same brand for each.” He reminded me.

I shrugged my shoulders. “I know. But the matching bottles look better on the shower shelf.”

Alex took the carton of milk and put it on the top shelf in the refrigerator. “Well, that’s what really matters.”

“Exactly.” I handed him a jar of pickles. While he was putting them in the cabinet I took out some onions and yams, placing them next to the avocados on the butcher block.

I was ready to reach in the bag again when I stopped and looked over at Alex. “You know now that I think about it I remember watching commercials for Pop Tarts where they told us they had real fruit filling and were loaded with vitamins and minerals.”

Alex looked surprised. “Pop Tarts?”

I nodded my head. “They told us it was the perfect on-the-go breakfast.”

“And you believed that?”

“Of course! Because that’s what the commercial told us.”

“You know, they’re so bad for you that they’re actually banned in other countries!”

“I know.” I nodded as I scooped up the bottles of shampoo and conditioner. “But they’re still sold here.” I reminded him.

I was headed for my bathroom as I called over my shoulder. “That’s because we were the lather, rinse and repeat generation!”

“Oh, my gosh!” I let out a big sigh. “If I see one more article telling me how delicious bugs taste I’m going to scream!” I tossed the magazine I’d been reading on the couch next to me.

“Hey, I heard they have a nice nutty taste to them.” Alex called from the kitchen. He came around the corner wiping his hands on a towel.

“Where’d you hear that?” He could see the skeptical look on my face.

“On the survivor shows Dad and I watch.” He went back in the kitchen to put the towel away before returning to the living room. “We watched one guy popping ants in his mouth saying it was like eating from a bowl of nuts.”

I shuttered. “That’s disgusting.”

Alex shrugged his shoulders. “Hey, when you’re trying to survive you do what you have to.”

“Okay, I get that. But I’m not out in the woods trying to survive!” I handed him the magazine. “They have a Michelin star chef trying to convince me to start making cookies with cricket flour!”

Alex said down next to me and skimmed over the article. “You know they’re already using ground up crickets in food. They just give it a different name so you’ll never know.”

“WHAT!” I sat up straight. “What are they calling it?”

Alex sat back thinking. “I’m pretty sure they call it acheta powder.”

I got up and went to the kitchen to go through our cabinets. “If they’ve been sneaking that in my food I’m going to scream!” I grabbed a box of crackers and began reading the ingredients.

Alex was right behind me laughing. “It’s mostly in protein powders and energy bars right now.”

“No acheta in this one.” I put the box back and grabbed a box cookies.

“I’m telling you it’s not really that common right now.”

“Not in here either.” I put the cookies back.

Alex patted me on the shoulders. “No one’s going to make you eat bugs.”

“Not yet.” I sighed. “But it’s coming.” I grabbed my phone out of my back pocket. “Okay, so they say it’s got a nutty flavor.” I typed in my next question. “What does cricket flour smell like?”

“Really?” Alex shook his head. “What made you think of that?”

“Because when I buy the live crickets for Max’s bearded dragon they STINK!”

Alex stood next to me when the answer popped up on my phone.

“It says the texture of cricket flour is similar to sand.” I looked over at Alex. “That sounds yummy.” I continued to read. “It’s dark colored about the same shade as dark brown sugar.” I shrugged my shoulders. “That no big deal.” I continued. “Cricket flour smells distinctly nutty, but also a little fishy!” I smacked my phone with the back of my hand. “I knew it!” I looked back at Alex. “Nothing is more delicious than a plate of freshly baked cookie with a slight fishy smell to it!”

Alex couldn’t help but chuckle. “What are you worried about? You haven’t baked cookies in years!”

I thought for a second and had to laugh. “Well now I’m never baking again!” I held up the phone for him to see again.

“Oh, yeah.” He shook his head as he headed down the hall to his room. “That’s the real reason you’re not baking cookies anymore.”

“That’s right!” I called after him. “And I’ll be sticking to that!”

“Oh, my gosh!” I cried. “I think I’ve finally figured it out!” My husband Steven and I had just come home from dinner and I was sitting on the couch listening to my stomach go crazy.

My son Alex came into the room. “What did you figure out?” He asked.

“Why my stomach is always bothering me after I eat.” I heard my stomach gurgle again. “I think it’s the cheese.”

“You think you’re lactose intolerant?”

“It has to be.” I got up to get a glass of water. “I had eggplant rollatini for dinner so, not only does it have mozzarella cheese on it but it’s also filled with ricotta cheese.” I grabbed a glass from the cabinet and called over my shoulder. “I swear within a half an hour of eating it my stomach started to hurt.” I came back into the living room taking small sips of water from my glass. “I can’t believe it.” I sighed. “My stomach was just starting to feel better after the lunch we had.” I sat back down.

“But you made homemade chicken soup.” Alex looked confused. “There wasn’t any cheese in that.”

“No.” I raised my eyebrows. “But I dipped a grilled cheese sandwich in my soup.” I had to laugh. “All these years I’ve been thinking that I just had a nervous stomach. I can’t believe this is the first time it even crossed my mind that I was lactose intolerant!”

“You do eat a lot of cheese.” Alex said.

“I LOVE cheese. Any kind of cheese.” I leaned back against the cushions and sighed. “Grilled cheese, mac and cheese. I put cheese on everything! I’m Bubba from Forrest Gump.” I looked over at Alex. “Only with cheese!”

“You’re just missing the enzyme that helps digest dairy. A lot of people have that.”

I grabbed my phone to do some research. When I found the site I began reading from it. “Okay, it says here that 65 percent of people have a reduced ability to digest lactose after infancy.”

“See.” Alex said. “And yours isn’t even that bad. You didn’t even know you had it.”

“Wait a minute.” I’d scrolled down further. “It says only15 percent of adult Caucasians have it.”

I dropped my phone on the couch and sighed. “Well, isn’t that just magical. I’m in the 15 percent group.”

“You’ll be fine.” Alex got up and was headed down the hall. “I’m in it too.”

“I can’t give up cheese!” I cried.

“You don’t have to.” Alex was back and dropped a box of enzyme supplement next to me on the couch. “Just take these whenever you’re going to have dairy. It’s really no big deal. I’ve been using them for years.”

As I was reading the box Steven walked into the room. “Hey, are you lactose intolerant?” I asked him.

Steven shook his head. “Nope. Never had a problem.”

“Well, aren’t you special.” I grumbled under my breath.

“What?” Steven asked.

“Nothing.” I sighed. “Now I’ve got to carry packets of these around with me.” I held up the box.

“Hey, you could just give up eating cheese.” Alex said.

“NEVER!” I cried as I took a sleeve of pills out of the box and went to go find my purse.

We’d had a big snowstorm a few days earlier but, with the sun out and the temperature above freezing, the snow was beginning to melt.

My son Alex and I were headed to my car, going out to do some errands, when I noticed a small dandelion trying it’s best to push through a patch of snow.

“Oh, I know just how you feel.” I said to the little flower as I took my phone out to snap it’s picture.

“Who are you talking to?” Alex asked as he stood at the passenger door of my car, looking at me over the roof.

“My little dandelion friend over here!” I bent down to get a closer shot of it.

Alex came around to my side of the car. I was just standing back up and held the phone out for

him to see. “What do you think?”

“Wow, a dandelion in February.” He handed me back my phone. “That’s impressive.”

“That’s more than impressive.” I said as I opened my car door and climbed in. I waited for him to get in before I continued. “It gives me hope and makes me feel like I’m not the only one struggling through each day.”

Alex nodded as he put on his seat belt.

“I’m serious!” I snapped my own seat belt into place.“With the last couple of weeks I’ve had I could use a little encouragement from a dandelion. It just showed me that sometimes you just have to keep pushing through!”

Alex started to laugh. “You got all that from a dandelion?”

“Hey, there was a reason that little flower was right next to my car door.” I began backing out of the driveway. “It could have been in the middle of the yard where I wouldn’t have seen it, but it wasn’t.” I put the car in drive and we were on our way. “I honestly feel we’re given signs all the time.” I looked over at Alex. “We just have to be open to seeing them.”

Alex shrugged his shoulders. “I know you’re big on symbolism but sometimes when you see a cardinal in the back yard it might not mean you’re getting a visit from someone who’s passed. It might just mean you filled the bird feeders.”

“Hey!” I laughed. “I filled the feeders days ago! That cardinal I showed you this morning was a sign!”

Alex sighed and patted me on the shoulder. “Of course it was.”

I had to laugh. “I know you’re more pragmatic than I am but I can’t help it. Every time I see something unusual I can’t help but feel it’s trying to tell me something.”

We were stopped at a red light when all of a sudden a small white feather gently floated past the windshield. I looked over at Alex raising my eyebrows. “Well?”

“I’m not saying a word.” He sighed as he shook his head.

“Exactly.” The light turned green and we were back on our way. “By the way remind me to call Toni when we get home. I’m pretty sure that one was for her.”