It was December 22nd. I was running on one of my favorite trails, soaking in the sunshine and hearing my feet land softly on the delicate gravel.
I was closing the end of my six miles and I quickly noticed a woman and her dog a few yards ahead of me. Her dog was pulling, almost as if it wanted to escape from her grip and break loose.
This lil' guy was persistent! He kept eyeing me and deliberately turning its body in my direction.
I smiled and nodded and the lady took cue it was safe to stop.
"Well, hello little guy." I knelt down and rubbed his soft ears as he was wagging and wiggling with excitement.
"Gosh, sorry about that! He was determined to stop and be with you," the lady said with a sigh of relief.
The lady and I started engaging in a lengthy conversation about the adoption process of her dog.
"Charlie. Charlie is his name," she said.
"You know, his name came to me right after the passing of my father," she stated with a sense of sadness in her voice.
The lady continued on about how challenging the holidays were for her after her father's passing in July. I could sense her mourning, especially after I saw a small tear glisten in her left eye.
I know the pain all too well.
I validated her and told her I could relate losing a loved one, especially a close family member.
"I know the holidays are tough," I said, "But I know he's watching and looking over you."
She went into great detail about the subtle signs she witnesses throughout the days. From pennies to cardinals, she felt these were all signs from her father.
I smiled, "Yes, yes you are correct. He is around to give you support; he is here right now," I told her.
I saw the tears again and she thanked me for giving her the space to be so open and transparent about her loss.
Funny enough, we both realized we lived within one hour of each other during our childhood years, and we shared the mutual expression of feeling and seeing signs of our deceased ones.
I felt we were supposed to be connected at this moment in time.
"You know, it was so lovely to meet you," I smiled. "I hope our paths cross again very soon."
She thanked me and we both carried on.
Her with her dog. Me with my run.
As I was reflecting on our conversation and wrapping up my run, I thanked her father for bringing us together during this difficult time for her.
Then a thought popped in my mind -- I have to blog about this.
Whispering under my breath, I said to myself, "If I'm meant to see her again I will ask her."
Sure enough, I turn the corner and there she is.
"Would you mind if I blogged about our experience from today? This whole situation really touched me," I said.
"I would love that," she said. "You know my father was a preacher and had premonitions. I felt he was incredibly intuitive."
"You know," she said with a chuckle. "Charlie has never tugged on me like that before. He was really trying to get my attention."
"Does your father like dogs?" I questioned.
"Yes, he liked them a lot." she smiled.
I told her how I felt this was a sign from her father. I felt Charlie brought us together and this was a sign that we were supposed to talk today, so I could help comfort her during this trying time.
Moral of the story…
I wholeheartedly believe if you pay attention, you're always getting signs and signals from your angels in heaven, most often in the most unexpected of circumstances.
Especially from a little dog named Charlie.