Have signs led you to places? Or people?

[anditmakesmewonder]

I'm asking about your opinions based on your own experiences. If you can share a tale or two, I'd appreciate it.

I'll tell mine here.

Someone I really care died by suicide almost a year ago. I went to a book event months after but suffices to say this isn't something that one forgets, it always lurk in your back, that thought, that grief. So after spending time with my friends there I finally decided to buy some books, quite naturally, but I had nothing specific in mind. There were this large mass of books and people picking as there was a nice offer going on. I looked at it and a book came to my attention. It was the name of the author that in a way called me, even though I didn't know of him up to this point. It turns out that the author's name is the same of the person that died but in another language.

The nature of the title was very appealing to me, regarding literature by itself, it is written by a professor, but then not that far there was another book by the same author that simply put is called, "An emotional mistake". And then another book with a character's nickname as the title, same author, I opened to read the flaps and the character died by suicide. Basically this is revealed upfront and it's up to us readers to try to know this person.

I bought the three of them that night. Despite the nature of the book I came to realize that the author made a compelling story that allows us to have sympathy for the character, even laugh with and about him despite the consummated tragedy. To cherish his life. One main point is the effort of a friend to make him live, not to be forgotten, be honored.

Anyways, another book event was supposed to happen months after, but it didn't. So when they announced their new dates it was around the date it would mark one year since the death of the person. So I said out loud, "That's a sign I should be there."
Months went by with no much talk about who would appear at the event and suddenly the author of the books I bought, of the similar name, will be at this rescheduled event on the day it'll be one year without him.

I'm not sure if anything special will happen that day, that is coming very soon. All I know is that, it feels as if he doesn't want to be forgotten but also want me to enjoy myself and follow my path, not allowing the grief that comes in such dates take charge of me. It's like saying keep me in your heart for a while.

I just find it unfortunate that this isn't the thing you can share with most people without them being scared or thinking you're imagining things.

[Dan_SF]

I often find myself doing things, which, a bit later, turn out as: be at the right time, at the right place.

Usually this happens when i do not 'think' actively, but concentrate fully on doing what i'm doing.

Such things like finding a Book 'which may help you', happened too. But it is step-by-step process. And what you think may help you often is only a indicator to something greater.
At the end you will ask, why did i read this book, when it brings me back to where i wanted to be, but then you realize that this is, what needs a correction.
It is a time consuming process. But you will understand that otherwise you wont understand what they are trying to tell you.

A long time ago, a coworker who was usually very nice for some reason started to curse at me. I was a hot head who didnt need provocation. As it was coworkers were being moved to another department which had its lunch an hour later. I found one who was upset at that prospect. I had seniority so I was able to swap. A month later my department got a handful of new coworkers one happened to be a very attractive. As it turned she and I would have an instant connection. I never got along with anyone better than her and during that time, she echoed the same about me. I never would have met her if it wasn't for the coworker's outburst.

[anditmakesmewonder]

Originally Posted by Tedmil

A long time ago, a coworker who was usually very nice for some reason started to curse at me. I was a hot head who didnt need provocation. As it was coworkers were being moved to another department which had its lunch an hour later. I found one who was upset at that prospect. I had seniority so I was able to swap. A month later my department got a handful of new coworkers one happened to be a very attractive. As it turned she and I would have an instant connection. I never got along with anyone better than her and during that time, she echoed the same about me. I never would have met her if it wasn't for the coworker's outburst.

Which is really cool. As bad as things may seem we should try to look for a silver lining. But sometimes is so hard to see it.


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So the event I mentioned in the op happened. I had spent more than one hour watching a lecture, donating books, seeing art kids did...but then strangely enough as soon as I placed my eyes into the new book of the author, grabbed it and mentioned his name the lights went out. To everyone's surprise and disappointment(u know, that collective aw) and so the place was lit by mobile phone lights for about 20 minutes or so. I was a little bit worried that everything would be cancelled but anyways...It was still afternoon so I went to an open space within the building where there was natural light. Upon going back inside the place I commented something like "Geez, I just said his name and everything went dark, my goodness." And then in that very moment the lights were back. The timing was so precise that I could have never guessed that it would happen. Due to this there was a delay and the said author came in his proper time set but he was early considering his new schedule and so he was just available over there.
But then I shied away from him and went to see people declaiming poetry but it isn't as if the opportunity to talk beyond the casual "sign my book" wasn't there.
Overall he was a very funny guy thru all his talk with a younger author and they made me laugh a lot in a day I'd otherwise be down and crying.

Interesting to mention that the younger author(I didn't know him before) said that he was struggling with being an atheist and not having any belief at all pertaining the afterlife and so he said that he suffered and was still suffering a lot the loss of his friend that died somewhat recently(suddenly hit by a car). He said that he still haven't managed to settle his feelings and that he felt that personally it was awful to be an atheist but couldn't at this point of his life, being in his late 30s, just join a religion like that.

Then he went about how before being an writer he was studying physics and how science could explain almost everything like his sleep paralysis and weird black shadows he'd see but ultimately he felt unfulfilled regarding his lack of belief.
Honestly this was the first time I heard an atheist complaining about this.

I also I'm not affiliated to any religion but still believe into something greater than me, despite being myself, always in the edge of atheism. Something always pulls me back.

It's like he wants to believe but can't and I every once in a while want to stop believing but can't.

[Rainbow11]

Im so glad you posted an update about this.

My instincts when i read your posts were that they are also definitely signs. I'm usually a skeptic. So if i hear names of someone like a crush etc & I know its a common name, i dont think of it as a sign. If i think the probability of it occurring "naturally" is high, I disregard them. But now your post is the 2nd post I have read where the signs are just beyond coincidence. Even if we were to bring statistical data into it, the chances that ALL of those things happen exactly like that doesnt seem very likely to me. Im no mathematician lol but i just cant see how things like that can happen frequently enough to one person if the events themselves are meant to be rare coincidences. I hope that makes sense.

As for your loss, I am so sorry. I know how hard it is. My friend visited me in my sleep last week, and told me he is ok. I hugged him and cried hard and it felt so real, i could feel the hug. I hope it wasnt just my mind, and that it really was his spirit. I hope your friend is also letting you know he is okay.