921- Life & God's little messages and messengers- pay close attention!

At 1021am on Weds Dec 21st, 2022 I had a pair of cardinals fly directly over the hood of my truck as I was leaving our driveway for some errands. These were the first and only two cardinals I've seen all year. As soon as I saw them, I stopped and texted my wife and sisters that I had just seen this pair of Cardinals- my texts went out at 1021am. Let's back up a short while for the rest of the story.

Two and half weeks before Christmas, my wife and I drove down to Gulf Shores Alabama to visit my mom- Ozzie Lubahn- who was just a few weeks shy of her 92nd birthday. She has lived alone down in Alabama since Dad died in July of 2020. Dad was also just shy of his 92nd when he passed away, and they had recently celebrated 70 years of a successful marriage- with both having lived great full lives. Mom had some hired help coming in most days, and they were true blessings as her greatest aliment, to be blunt, was a broken heart and loneliness. She did not want to move back to Michigan where majority of the family resides and was very content to stay full time in Gulf Shores. They had done the split state "snowbird" thing for almost 25 years- but once covid hit and dad took ill- it was Alabama all the time.

We had a great visit with Mom, lots of really meaningful conversations and chats, many good laughs, and were able to take her out one late afternoon to her favorite spot on the Gulf of Mexico- down at the bridge by Orange Beach to watch the fishermen and the dolphins. We were blessed with a steady flow of dolphins, a few families of fishermen from 8 to 85 years of age, and even caught a decent sunset. This was followed by a dinner at her favorite restaurant - The Shrimp Basket. All 3 of our meals were exceptionally well prepared that night. On the trip back to her home, we stopped and got supplies to make Chicken noodle soup- which I made a double batch the next day for dinner and lots for the freezer too. Then we stopped at a small subdivision just west of Gulf Shores and drove through admiring every single house that was fully decorated for the Christmas season- her favorite time of year. There was even a nice young man handing out free candy canes to all the admiring guests. All in all, it was a perfect evening with Mom and in retrospect, many little "signs".

Mom had been saying for the past few months that she was really missing dad and was ready to go-- don't ever doubt the human spirit- seriously listen and pay attention. We enjoyed a few more days down there and headed back to Michigan left towards the end of the week. In the months prior to this, Mom would often call and share the news that "dad" had visited her- as she had seen a bright red cardinal on the trees just outside her home.

All 3 of my sisters had plans to come visit her too over those next few weeks- in and around the holidays. Well that all changed very quickly - Mom began to fail very quickly and she was put into Hospice care 24/7 within that next week. My sisters (and spouses) were all able to adjust and get down there to be with mom. I had gotten this crappy bug going around and couldn't travel at all. In fact, my trip out of the house on the 21st was my first time out of the house other than to Dr's.

So, on Monday night the 20th, Mom asked Nesta, her night shift angel caregiver what day is tomorrow? Nesta replied- well miss Ozzie it's Tuesday do we have somewhere to go? Mom replied "yep she was going to be with Louie on Tuesday! " Monday night she spoke her last words to each of us kids, and she passed away very peacefully Wednesday morning.

My oldest sister called me to give me the news that mom had just died and was now up in heaven with God, dad and many others. I had just gotten into Home Depot and it wasn't much more than 10 mins or so since I'd left home. At the end of the call, I asked her what time they put down for her official time of death- 921am. Then the light bulb went off- 921am Alabama is the same as 1021am Michigan- the exact same time the pair of cardinals flew over the hood of my truck!

Take the time and pay attention to the little things in life - as they can quite likely be much bigger than you'd ever imagine. God works in some very powerful and mysterious ways- but most of all - don't ever doubt the power of the human spirit. It's a very very strong thing!

Tell those that matter to you how you feel about them, and always pay attention to the messages- regardless of the messenger!

Mom will be sorely missed - and loved deeply forever! Rest in peace Mom Her obit is here- Dwilla "Ozzie" Lubahn Obituary (1931 - 2022) - Arcadia, MI - Legacy