The Miracles of so-called Coincidences -- For me, They Began Decades Ago!!!!

The new book I'm writing, "ANGELS KEEP WHISPERING IN MY EARS," has a strong supernatural focus. A few days ago, I wrote about the many "coincidences," or coinkydinkies as my husband calls them, that I have experienced. Here are more MIRACLES I have recorded over the years. It's only a fraction of the number I've experienced! Since I started writing this book in February, 2020, there ARE MORE AND MORE ALL THE TIME!"

(I DID THIS PAINTING FOR MY  HUSBAND'S COUSIN, LIZ GREENBERG, who lives in Florida with her family.)

December 1, 1996 Grandma Michelina’s funeral takes place today, she having died on my birthday, November 29th. We go to the Trattoria for lunch in Canton, Connecticut. As we are approaching the restaurant in the parking lot, I see a rainbow overhead and I say "Grandma Mish is here." Aunt Joyce overhears me and says "oh Claudia you are such romantic.” My sister Holly comes up to me and for no reason she places in my hand a sparkling rhinestone star. Why are you doing this Haw? It takes me many years to understand that Grandma Mish was with us that day sending me (us?) signs!

September 2008 I am meditating one morning and suddenly I am thinking about Allegra, the young daughter of my teaching assistant, Lori Cullen. I am overwhelmed with feeling for the girl, and I decide to go into the closet and find a pocketbook that my mother in law had bought for my daughter. I wrap it up and bring it to my office and hand it to Lori saying, "I'm not sure why but I really wanted Allegra to have this today. The only thing is I don't have a gift for your son." Lori looks at me strangely. "Well, of course it's Allegra who should get the gift. She almost died in the emergency room last night after suffering a severe allergic reaction to peanuts!" I was stunned.

December 3, 2016

I am in Washington DC and I meet my old friend Becky for coffee. The next day I visit the Hirschorn museum and on my way back, I am not sure which train to transfer to. Just when I was about to ask someone, I see Becky walking toward me. What are the chances of that happening?

November 15, 2016 

In the category strange but wonderful, I just called Nancy Dunlop and we were talking on the phone and then somehow we were on my house phone and she was calling my cell phone and then we were face timing, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ALL ABOUT? J

September 14, 2016 

Writing an email to my friend Leslie, I am saying that our mutual friend Karen, who is dying, had such joie de vivre! After the email I get on the computer and immediately there is a New York times ad talking about joie de vivre.

So often I am reading a word when I simultaneously hear it spoken. WEIRD!

September 2016 I had a dream a few weeks ago that my daughter Lindsay’s best friend Tracee is 8 months pregnant; the next day Lindsay tells me that Tracee is pregnant, she is due in 8 months because August is the 8^th month!

July 27, 2016

I am not going crazy. It cannot be me. 

I don’t understand how this happened.

I was in the outlet store looking at shirts for my Dad when suddenly the phone (husband RICHARD’S) rang. “Did I see a call from you?” Dad said. 

“No, I didn’t call you Dad but it’s amazing you dialed me now, because I am looking at shirts for you!” We went on to talk about the sizes and colors and I said I would bring them Friday, and he could return them if he didn’t like them.

So tell me is this just an accident, a serendipity? Mary would say it’s not. There are no accidents. No coincidences.

December 8, 2017 After being in Morocco and flying home via Malaga, Spain, I return to the US and go into my password for a program on the iphone/computer and the password is:

MALAGA1969!

THE SAME AFTERNOON I GET IN THE CAR TO MEET SHARON FOR COFFEE AND ON THE RADIO IS A SHOW ABOUT MOROCCAN FOOD 

March 21, 2020

How do I explain what just happened? It’s Saturday (Shabbat) at the start of the pandemic so we are going to temple via ZOOM. It’s the first time the rabbi has used the program so the service is rather chaotic. Finding myself a little bored, I start scrolling through some word files and what pops up is a poem called “OH SPRING!” which originally contained a piece I wrote for a local magazine. Instead what pops up is a birthday greeting I wrote for my mom on her 87^th birthday in 2013. How the hell did that switch happen?

Just a few minutes before this happened, my husband was going grocery shopping and I called to him at the last minute, “Can you please buy me a purple orchid?” Rushed, he says he isn’t going to take the time to shop for orchids. But now, reading the birthday greeting the piece is all about my mother loving orchids! I feel so connected to mom on this day!

 March 30, 2020

It’s Mom’s birthday, she would be 94, and I open a new blogpost file and what appears is a photo of mom and me and dad, which pops up over and over again!

When you post a blog, it comes up in the next day’s email. But this post I write to my mother doesn’t come up. Instead what appears is a post that my daughter Jocelyn wrote to commemorate her daughter Dani’s naming ceremony. Dani is named for her grandmother, Dina. Jocelyn calls her baby “Dee,” which is what we all called my mother!

Later, I am in the living room where my husband is lying on the floor doing his stretches. I tell him what happened, the post by Jocelyn magically replacing the post about my mother, and he says: “Yeah I saw that post by Jocelyn in my email and I wondered why you posted it again.”

“I didn’t post it again! It just appeared by magic!”

At that very moment, a black and white bird flies up right against the window. I hear you Mom, I hear you!

These coincidences are steering this book more and more!

June 17, 2020 Miracles seem to be happening constantly...

My dear friend Sharon is grieving the loss of her beloved husband, David King on May 21st. Flowers and cards have been flooding her home in Hillsdale, New York.

Two orchids arrived. I happen to be an orchid nut and I commented on how beautiful they are.

"Please please take them," Sharon said. "I can't possibly take care of them."

"But all you need to do is give each one of them three ice cubes a week," I replied.

Sharon was firm. She didn't want to keep the orchids.

I loved the lime green and cranberry one. But I knew the towering white orchid was not for me.

But who would I give it to?

Suddenly I knew. It has to be Kellie, I said. My dear friend Kellie, an artist extraordinaire, who also is on Instagram as WalkArtDream. She takes daily forays in the forest near her home and takes amazing photos.

So yesterday I texted Kellie a photo of the white orchid, towering over the others in my kitchen. I told her I wanted her to have it.

And this is astonishing text she sent back to me:

Omg!! It’s beautiful and perfect!! It’s so funny because I’ve been very attracted to white flowers. In fact I am planting only white annuals in this little garden on my patio… I’ve been on the hunt for white geraniums and haven’t come across the right size yet— I just want tiny ones to start with so I can take them in, in the fall. Meanwhile, I’ve been nursing an orchid that has not re-bloomed that was at my mom’s house and just yesterday I was thinking that maybe I should start fresh. This white orchid is just perfect!!!!! I can’t wait to hear the story X0XOXO Oh! And I reluctantly took my mother’s milk glass collection… And have been enjoying every piece of it, unexpectedly!

There is no end to the miracles!

June 18, 2020 This spring, our rosebush beside the porch has grown to an immense size. Yesterday, in my blue bathrobe, I trimmed the branches that were scratching at the paint job on the side of the house.

I took one branch, with several beautiful roses on it, and set it into the stunning green vase that my dear friend Sharon gave me on my husband and my 40th wedding anniversary in September 2018.

Sharon is forever giving wonderful gifts to people and writing delightful cards. She has inspired me to write a lot of cards too, for birthdays and holidays, but also, just to say thanks to somebody or to tell someone you are thinking of them. These cards are always full of love!

The other day I saw a card that made me think of Sharon. I decided I would send it to her. But I had forgotten what the cover of the card looked like.  When I went to pick it up to write it yesterday, I was surprised and delighted to see that it was full of ROSES!!!

Dear Sharon, may you be healed and full of life. May you find the strength and courage to embrace the joy you have always had! In Hebrew, "El na r'fana." God, please heal her.

I pray every day for Sharon's healing and return to love and life.

And in Italian I say:

"Caro Sharon, che tu possa essere guarito e pieno di vita possa trovare la forza che incoraggi ad abbracciare la gioia che hai sempre avuto Dio, per favore, guariscila!

Prego per la guarigione di Sharon e torno all'amore nella vita."

THE MIRACLE OF THE PURPLE IRIS AND THE VIOLET CLEMATIS

Talk about miracles!

Here it is October 19th

with temps in the 30s and 40s,

and suddenly

Grandpa Angelo's irises 

bloomed 

TODAY!!!!!

And there are

several more

iris blossoms

coming.

And so too are the purple clematis

in bloom.

I was astonished.

And then yesterday,

I thought of something 

just awful

that my mother used to say to me

IN ITALIAN.

The expression

is so hurtful, so shaming.

so disgusting and abominable

that I didn't think I could write

about

it.

I was furious. I was

trembling with anger.

My husband was

furious too.

But he also saw

the silver lining

in the situation.

"Do you realize that this is another step in your healing journey? Writing this book has done wonders for you! The fact that this came out of your memory means you can handle so much more. This has been lurking in your subconscious forever!"

 

I thought of calling

Mary but it was

Sunday and I realized

I could handle the

DECONSTRUCTION

OF THIS

MISERABLE

EXPRESSION

ON 

MY OWN.

This morning, however,

I texted Mary.

I didn't tell her

what my

mother used to

say, but I told

her I 

was tapping

and deconstructing

and I wondered

if she had any

other recommendations.

She wrote back:

"Violet flames for you, for your mother and everyone in your ancestry."

And it was

only then 

that I realized

that the

IRIS 

LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE PURPLE FLAMES!

 

And the clematis is violet too.

 

I have written about violet flames before, back in May 2020. Violet flames are an invisible spiritual energy that  "revitalize and invigorate us and change negative energy into positive energy. By transforming negative thoughts and feelings, violet flames provide a platform for our healing."

 

So I am bathing

myself in

violet/purple flames.

And I am seeing

my mom bathed

in violet flames, too.

And suddenly

the shame feels

lifted. 

AND I FEEL LIKE I'VE BEEN GIVEN

A GIFT.

MANY MANY GIFTS,

Mary texted some more:

 

"Here it is October and gardens are turning brown and you get new purple iris and clematis -- they grow in the spring!!!! You are truly blessed!! Angels are with you for this great transformation and healing work."

 

And more:

 

"I have the best job in the world -- I get to witness your miracles!! I am humbled and filled with gratitude. It's spring at the Ricci's!!!!!"

 

And speaking

of gifts.

Today happens to be

very very special for another reason:

my daughter Lindsay was born on this day in 1986.

And her sister, Jocelyn, was born on October 16, 1984.

THEY CELEBRATED BIRTHDAYS ALL WEEKEND.

I am humbled.

I am grateful.

And I can't wait to go outside

to do my yoga 

while staring at the iris and

the clematis

again

and 

again

and

again.

 

All

 

Day

 

LONG.

 

OCTOBER 25, 2020

 

I was just writing Jossy an email asking if I could use a composite photo of the D’s. I was writing that the weather (SNOW) is coming to Denver and at that instant I got an INSTAGRAM FROM DENVER DRY GARDEN!

November 12, 2020 I started writing in my journal about light. At that moment, suddenly and with no explanation, the flashlight in my iPhone turned on. I couldn't turn it off. I smile. I am not shocked anymore when these littles miracles happen. I am accepting and grateful.

November 18, 2023I am writing about synchroncities in the "new" book I am composing, about how I have healed myself. I am writing about synchronicities and I come across Carl Jung's name in conjunction with the term. I do a Google search and find out that Jung is credited with coming up with the term "synchronicity" and speaking about it in the 1930s. He published a definitive book on the subject of synchronicity in 1952, the year I was born. November 25, 2023 Recently, I signed up for a class with an amazing meditation teacher. Trained as a Buddhist Monk, Jack Kornfield also holds a PhD in psychology, and he is one of the founders of the very highly-regarded Insight Meditation Center in Barre, Massachusetts. He has taught meditation world-wide since 1974.

In the master class I am taking, he is talking about guided meditation and how it can be used to help people heal and move forward with their lives. Toward the end of today’s class, he talks about using shamanic practices to help people heal.

“The very simplest of all the shamanic practices is POWER ANIMALS…”

While he often speaks to children’s groups, Jack stressed that he also believes adults would profit greatly from turning to their power animals.

“I tell the children… that the world is much more alive than we know, and that it is always speaking to us. And that the hills and the trees are speaking to us, and the animals that walk through the trees and live underground and fly around us, they all are teaching us and speaking to us, if only we would take the time to listen and know that our hearts and minds are connected to this greater field of understanding. And that each of us will have one or more power animals that want to support us as we grow, as we move through life…”

Suddenly Poco starts barking: she wants to go for a walk, so I stop listening to Jack. Poco and I go outdoors and walk to the country store. While we are walking back into the yard, going up a hill, I hear a red-tailed hawk screeching. I look up: the hawk is sitting high up in a tree maybe 300 yards away.

Smiling, I decide to try to squawking back to the hawk:

“ARReeeeeehhhhhh, ARReeeeeh,” I screech, and the hawk cries back to me. We go back and forth for a few minutes.

How incredibly ironic, I think. Jack was just talking about finding a power animal! I guess the hawk has something to tell me!