Signs, signs, everywhere are signs...

I've always expressed that I believe in magic and miracles.
I also choose to believe that when we lose people we love -- they aren't entirely gone. Their physical being is gone, but their energy never dies; it just manifests into something that we may not be able to recognize easily, but yet it's there just the same.

Today, I choose to believe there was a sign of someone. It was subtle, but yet so odd to have had occur, it's rather difficult to ignore.

My mother's older sister Saralee passed away when I was 15. She was 39 years old, and had a medical condition that was impossible to have detected in advance; it took her with literally no warning. It was sudden, tragic - and life altering for us all. She was an incredibly strong person, who was always helping people and loved adventures -- and was always taking me on the weekends to go camping with my cousins, or to the zoo....or just to come spend the weekend at her house. I named my Princess Petunia for her, actually. I didn't use her name specifically, but something in the general vicinity of it.

Today, my cousin - her daughter - came and visited me at the store. It was a crazy, busy day and I had appointment after appointment with reps, which I hadn't completely expected. One of the reps brought a wine maker with her to sample me on a new portfolio release. I asked my cousin if she wanted to sample as well, and of couse she did, who wouldn't - right? So as the rep lines the bottle up, my cousin looks at me and says "oh my god - did you see the name on the label?".

Would you believe, it was Arrowood Winery's "Saralee Vineyards".
What are the chances....?
Saralee isn't the most common of names; neither is the spelling of it being all one word.

Chalk it up to coincidence......? Sure. I could.

But I'm more inclined to think that it's a sign. My cousin didn't have to be there when I was being tasted on the line; five minutes earlier....five minutes later -- she may not have been there. I could've seen that label alone and thought "oh, isn't that nice..." and had memories of my aunt flash through my mind and moved on. But to have my cousin be there to taste the wine and have it be that particular vineyard, well....that's just too specific to blame on the randomness of life.

I'd like to think that was some semblence of energy ensuring that all the components were there to allow a message of saying "I'm still here" come through in a way that we would recognize and embrace.

And if I'm wrong...well.
Then I don't want to be right. Because it's better to have hope and faith, than not.
Wouldn't you agree?