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Posted yesterday about coincidences and thought I'd share a fun one today.

This summer in Paris I made friends with an extraordinary woman, VB.  My entire family fell in love with her and we spent loads of quality time together.  We were shopping one day with all the kids and she said, "Oh you have to get these charms - you can only get them in Paris.  I want to get them for your family."  The charms have Mary during the Assumption on them.  We passed by the shop but it was closed.  So we continued down to the supermarche and while deliberating at the lunch counter VB grabbed my arm and said, "Oh my god, look at that!"  She bent down and picked up the very charm she wanted me to get me.  It was brand new - blue - still in its little ziploc baggie.  She snatched it up and immediately attached it to the clasp on the necklace I wore everyday.  I said, "Do you think we should turn it into lost and found?" and VB was like, "No way, these things cost like 50 cents."

VB loved my necklace so for her birthday (which is strangely very close to mine) I mailed her the same one.

I continued to wear my necklace with her charm until I bought a new necklace with a donut-shaped charm that read "Be the change you wish to see in the world".  I switched VB's special charm onto my new clasp and wore the thing every day for 6 months.

So last week I went to Miami and one day we packed up the family and went to Islamorada to visit Theatre of the Sea and swim with the dolphins.  We were asked to take off all of our jewelry so I gave my rings and earrings to my hubby and tucked my favorite necklace in my pocket.  When I was putting it in my pocket I had a feeling I was touching it for the last time.  Weird.  But I dismissed the feeling.  Anyway, it vanished.  Now I'm not overly attached to "stuff", but I was still sad b/c I loved that necklace and especially that little blue charm VB gave me.

When I arrived back home to Winchester, I settled in, lugged in bags, checked voicemail and collected the mail from the front door.  Amongst the newspapers and bills and junk mail was a package for me.  I opened it up and pulled out a little wrapped box with a note from my dear new friend KC.  Yay!  A prezzie!  I opened the box and found a necklace with a little charm on it that said "Be the change you wish to see in the world".

An hour or so later, while unpacking my son's bags, I found a little purple charm with Mary in the Assumption on it.  The one VB bought for him in Paris.  It had gone missing after our summertime overseas adventure but here it turned up and was looking at me from the bottom of Xavier's backpack.

So cool.

For me, the underlying message was this:  Change (in this case loss) is inevitable.  Embrace it.  Everything will be okay.


Peace!
V