06/17/2026
It started with a porthole mirror.
The very one that now hangs in our outdoor shower.
Years ago, my mom had been looking for one and eventually found it in her favorite place on earth: Dorothy's aka the Bourne landfill swap shop.
After that, it became a family joke.
If you needed something, you simply told Helen.
Eventually it would appear at the swap shop, a thrift store, or a yard sale. During our renovation, it happened for us too.
Furniture.
Accessories.
Appliances.
Things would appear exactly when we needed them.
I always told myself they were simply coincidences.
Until two items I was literally about to buy from a retailer appeared on Facebook Marketplace.
Brand new.
Not similar.
Not "close enough."
The exact items.
And when the exact thing didn't appear, somehow something even better did.
Like the kitchen hardware we had planned to order — except what we found was far higher quality and ended up being perfect.
And then there were the things I really couldn't explain.
During some of the hardest years, our Amazon Alexa would sometimes call me by my mother's name.
It happened often enough that we would stop and look at each other.
And now that life has settled down, it hasn't happened again.
Maybe they're signs.
Maybe they're coincidences.
Maybe they're simply reminders to pay attention.
Either way, we've learned to simply say thank you. 🤍
And somehow, as we prepare for Jenn & Paxton's wedding, it continues...
