Synchronicity:

My blog yesterday was a review of a book I'm reading, Unexpected Miracles, which vividly teaches us what the gift of synchronicity is. I'm still not quite finished reading the book, but I've already learned what synchronicity is and how to recognize it in our lives when we are aware. Amazingly, I see it in my own life and I would like to share two stories with you. After reading them, I know you will see how these unexpected miracles have touched yours, as well.

The first is a true story that the author of the book, Dr. David Richo, chose to use as an example of synchronicity:

He watched as his eight-year old son, Josh, ran down to the edge of the pond with bread all broken into duck-sized bites in anticipation of feeding the ducks. When he got to the pond, his face showed only disappointment and despair -- not one white feather anywhere.

His choice: keep the bread for another time or cast it upon the water anyway: tardy ducks might come on some other Joshless day.

His face lit up. The choice was made. A toss --
Then a rallied smile on a revived face! With that toss, an arrow of ducks suddenly appeared gliding, single-pointedly, to his feet: there were more than he had even expected, coming closer than ever he had hoped, from thin air, from nowhere, everywhere!

This is synchronicity, an unexpected miracle ... and may it always happen like that, Josh.

The other story I want to share is also true, but it happened many years ago, during the Great Depression. Every Christmas Eve, on cue as a tradition, my mama told us the story about her father, our Grampa Shannon, and "The Shannon Christmas Miracle".

The story begins a few days before Christmas when mama was very young. She was the middle child with an older and a younger brother. As with most families during the Depression, Grandma and Grampa had very little money. They told the children that Santa might not be able to visit them this year. With things being so scarce, Santa had been really having a hard time finding supplies to make any toys this year. Why, he even had to let a few of the elves go, and some of the reindeer were given to the zoo because he didn't have enough food to feed all of them.

Mama told us that she and her brothers understood, but being children, they were still anticipating Santa's arrival, just the same. They felt so sure they had been good with all of the things they did to help out, that Santa would surely bring each of them a present.

It was true. They had been good. The boys walked up and down the railroad tracks every morning picking up chunks of coal that had fallen from the train and putting them in the coal hod to carry home for heating their house. Mama helped her mother clean a house after school for a wealthy family in town and she worked hard. Her daddy spent every day all day long in town trying to find some kind of work to pay a few bills and take care of his family.

Mama said she could hear her parents talking quietly in their room after she and her brothers had gone to bed. Grampa was no different than hundreds of other men who couldn't find any work. There were no jobs and it was a very bad time. Mama told us his face was drawn and tight and he seemed unusually sad.

Mama always let that part sink in and then she went on with the story. Now it was the day before Christmas. Our grampa still hadn't found any work and this day wasn't looking any better. He was at his lowest point. He sat down on the curb with his feet in the gutter, elbows on his knees, head in his hands and, as it started to snow, he began to cry out of total desperation. He was thinking how he felt he had failed his family and himself and here it was, almost Christmas. He had hoped to bring home a turkey for Christmas dinner and something for each of the children and his wife for Christmas.

Suddenly a brisk wind kicked up. The snow blew hard against him and he shivered and drew his light coat tighter around him. As he started to stand, his legs slipped out from under him and he went down hard. Just when things were at their worst, he looked down beside him and right there, half buried in the snow, was a crumpled fifty dollar bill. He could hardly believe his eyes -- that was a whole lot of money -- it was a miracle ... and from that day on, it was forever called "The Shannon Christmas Miracle".

Those are two examples of synchronicity, folks. As you can see, it's similar to a coincidence, but it's so much more. It's actually an unexpected miracle. If you would like to email me some of your own examples, I will gladly publish them here in one of my blogs to share with everyone: poeticlady99@yahoo.com

Synchronicity precipatates events that can suddenly or slowly redirect the course of our life or the outcome of a situation.

Now, back to my book ...

Have a great day!
Hugs,
CJ