Walking through a cemetery never felt so synchronous

Alright, so things have been unusual for me lately to say the least. But today was the most unusual occurrence of all. I was at the cemetery with my grandmother today and we were walking around after visiting my recently deceased grandfather's spot. We were just kind of randomly strolling around looking at random graves and such. And then we came to a spot where the name on the grave was covered up by some decorations. My grandmother moved the decorations aside to see the dates of birth and death. And when I saw the name of the grave...I was totally SHOCKED! And here's why:

This is actually going to require a little exposition to make the synchronous event meaningful. I'm coming to ATS with a story like this because I think the ATS crowd will enjoy it; in fact, the truth is, I don't have anybody in my life to share this story with. No friends or family would really understand the synchronicity, to say nothing of my emotional state or how it affected me.

So, anybody who has ever read my intro post or any other threads may recall a few tidbits about me: I had a very serious and complicated bout of aggressive cancer as a teenager. Since then I have adopted meditation and Hinduism as a means of reconciling a lot of difficulties in my life. As a member of ATS, I am sometimes skeptical of what I practice and believe in even though I am constantly reaffirmed of my faith. I hate to call it faith, because it's such a nasty word here on ATS, but I guess I'd be a hypocrite if I called it something else. Anyhow, with all of my medical difficulties came lots and lots and lots of alienation, depression, loneliness etc. etc. This is why I turned to meditation and Hindu belief (hey, coulda been worse, right? I'm just glad the Mormons didn't get to me).

And so it goes...sometime last year I was in an especially fragile emotional state. I used to get downright depressed and hit rock bottom sometimes. The only thing I can do in a state like this is light a few candles and incense and spend the entire night in deep meditation. One particular night I asked sincerely for God to give me a sign that I'm following the correct path in my life. I asked to be shown that I'm not alone. I asked for evidence that I'm here for a purpose and not just aimlessly drifting like I so often feel. Then comes the hours of meditation until sunrise. I finished right about the time the sun was coming up. It was a beautiful crisp morning. And because I'm a narcoleptic, I RARELY even see the sunrise or the morning hours. I am the type to sleep in because I require a few extra hours of sleep than the average person. This is another reason why the all-night meditation helps me gain new perspective. So, I decide to head out to the park, take a walk, and pick some wildflowers before I have to get ready for work.

After strolling down the path at a park by the river, I almost immediately spot something bright and red out in the grass. I go to check it out and it's a wallet. No money in it (not that I would take it or anything). Just a few things in there like a library card and school ID. So, I decided to take the wallet back to the address on the ID before work. That was all the proof I needed that I was doing something constructive in my life. (We're not here to debate whether this was actually the sign I was looking for. Suffice it to say, that I truly believed..and still do..that this was a chance to serve righteousness and goodness on this earth). So, I had to go home and look up the address on the ID because I had no clue where it was. At this point, I'll admit that part of my incentive to return the wallet was because it belonged to a cute girl. Probably a high school senior or someone around that age. Yes, part of me was interested in doing a good deed in the hopes of meeting a new lady friend. But that was just an added bonus. I would have made this expedition no matter who it belonged to.

I drove around a bit trying to find the address. In fact, it's a fair way away from the park that I found it. At least a good 5 miles away. I knock on the door and ask if the person on the name of the ID lived there and that I'd like to return a missing wallet to her. It was probably her dad who answered. He didn't seem amused to see a gruff looking 20-something knocking on his door at 8AM for his daughter. He seemed hopelessly annoyed haha! So, the wallet had a little strap on the outside that I secured a little wildflower into. The girl comes up to the door next to her father and I explain where I found the wallet etc. I handed it over with the flower still attached (even though her father kind of rolled his eyes in disgust). The girl said she had no idea how her wallet got over to that side of town. Although, I'm sure she was just saying that because her dad was still listening in.

The name of the grave site was the very same name of the girl. She had died soon after I made the wallet trek. So, after seeing it in the cemetery, I had to come home and look up the obituary to see if it was the same girl. Indeed it was. And the obituary that was published in the local newspaper said "in lieu of flowers, please bring one wildflower of your choice..."

Now, I'm sure that the comment about the flowers was just coincidence. But, dang if it wasn't absolutely synchronous.

So, what did I get out of this experience? In truth, I have no clue. I am at a loss as to where to file this one under. For now, I file it under "cool stuff".

That was totally crazy. Thanks for a good read. I hope to experience something similar one day.
It will make an awesome book or movie

Wow. I know you didn't want to put your neck out there so to speak, but let's face it, if that happened to me I would have filed it under "absolutely amazing". But sure, in ATS, "I don't wanna sound too crazy" speak, cool stuff works. I wonder how things might've been different had you two hit it off. Either way, the experience will stay with you for life, I imagine. Thank you for sharing!

reply to post by 3n19m470


Oh, yes. I recognized her name immediately when I saw it on the gravestone. The day I found her wallet was a life-changing day for me. It was a new, fresh beginning that came with a dramatic change in my attitude towards life.

Seeing her name in the cemetery really hurt. I am always saddened by the loss of human life (like people should be!), but was especially saddened that I held on to that memory so tightly but never "knew" her.

But just think of the impact it had on my life from that day on. Just goes to show that the picture is much larger than we give it credit for. Even the smallest ripple can shake up the whole pond, eh?

reply to post by NarcolepticBuddha


Thank you for sharing your story with us. It's a beautiful story that deserves more attention.
I've had the benefit of experiancing devine syncronicity in my life, several times in fact. It happens quite often when we as individuals strive to meld with our loftier expectations.
Call it divine providence, or higher vibration or whatever you'd like to call it, it is direct conformation that your life is in rythum with the universe.
Keep up the good works.

reply to post by twohawks


Thanks for taking the time to read my thread and I'm glad you enjoyed it. You can see why I put the thread in my signature as a link. Oftentimes my threads seem to get pushed to the wayside very quickly when I'm seeking honest answers! Oh well, that's ATS for you.

But responses like yours and the above make it all worth it.

And I totally agree. These are the kinds of subtle answers and confirmations we receive when we ask for them. If we seek hard, we will find the answers. If we grow careless, we won't even notice these synchronous moments.

Thanks for your input!

This is very curious. Any idea how she died/any other details about her ?

reply to post by sleepdealer


No, no details. And it's really bugging me. I thought about confronting her parents and telling them the story. I don't want to upset them though. The obituary had no details. And I do not think I would be able to access death records or autopsy reports.

reply to post by NarcolepticBuddha

There's no rush to contact her parents about this. Whatever the cause of her passing they are doubtless still working through the various stages of grief. But at some stage in the future, yes -- it might help to let them know. In my signature there is a story that relates in some ways and it might provide a little insight, perhaps. (Story "Never Too Late.")

I truly believe that their request for mourners to bring a wildflower each was in some way related to what happened the day you found her wallet and returned it (and a wildflower) to her.

Thank you also for what you have written and for the inspiration it gave to me.

Namaste,

Mike

reply to post by NarcolepticBuddha

I too have experienced synchronicity so I do know how it can be at the same time so utterly marvelous yet so downright mindnumbing and humbling.

Your story is wonderful and it shows that you must be in alignment or or in harmony with the higher power whatever you call it. You passed a test. Had you not returned the wallet, then nothing would have happened but you would never have had such confirmation that you are doing things right.

reply to post by NarcolepticBuddha


Just ran across your story.
That is just awesome! Poignant & sooo sad!
Aren't you glad you followed through? You must have made her day & brought a smile to her heart!
Do you know what prompted you to add the flower? The perfect touch!

I found a book a while back, "When God Winks at You", by Squire Rushnell. It's from 2006.
I looked, they still have it on Amazon. Only 236 pages, 34 separate, short, true stories of the power of coincidence. Tim Conway & Don Knotts have stories in it!

Some of the stories are so intricate & took years for the people to see the final connection!
They made me say, "No waaay!!!' And I'd sit there shaking my head in disbelief!

He says there are no coincidences. Like when you think of someone that you hadn't thought of in a while & the phone rings & it's them!

I wonder what it means when I think of someone that I hadn't thought about in years, & then find out they died that day??? It's happened a few times, gives me shivers!!

I see he has other books with the same subject. This one has yellow taxi cabs on the cover.
I'll have to read the others too, they should be just as thought provoking!

Thanks so much for sharing yours!
WOQ

Originally posted by wasobservingquietly
reply to post by NarcolepticBuddha

 

Do you know what prompted you to add the flower?

Yes. I mentioned in my OP that I went out early in the morning picking wildflowers. The object of this was to pick the flowers and bring them back to my Hindu alter where I meditate. The flowers are an offering to God. It is an act of devotion that says, "I am in your service."

And flowers are usually very pretty. Everybody likes a pretty flower. I gave her one of mine.

That is such a heart-touching story. Thanks for sharing that with us. I can't add anything that hasn't already been said (and I'm in a hurry to get ready for work), but I would like to say that you are a most amazing person; the kind that is hard to come across these days.
God Bless You.

reply to post by NarcolepticBuddha

I don't have anybody in my life to share this story with. No friends or family would really understand the synchronicity, to say nothing of my emotional state or how it affected me.

I can relate to this for sure!

It is tough but (as you already know) it makes us stronger for things happening that way. As for the post,,

Wow.

I am curious how this event affected you now that you have had time to "reflect". Or how you relate this to your request of finding "purpose".

Thank you for sharing, beautiful.

Namaste

I am curious how this event affected you now that you have had time to "reflect". Or how you relate this to your request of finding "purpose".

edit on 17-11-2012 by SyntheticPerception because: (no reason given)

I'm still not sure. I think one thing I have learned from this is patience! We never know what's around each corner. We never know how much a single stranger passing in the street can change our perception.

It just makes me marvel at the giant tapestry that we must all weave together--and how we can only see so little of it at any given time.

I think this experience has given me faith to be patient and trust that things will float downstream as they are meant to. I like going with the flow now, whereas before I was fighting the currents upstream.

reply to post by NarcolepticBuddha

I like going with the flow now, whereas before I was fighting the currents upstream.

Amen.

Same here.. I resisted so much in the beginning. Swimming up stream can be painful

Although the experience you had may have made you aware of the bigger picture and made you feel vindicated and acknowledged by god in some way, it didn't help the girl at all. Also why would 'god' go to such trouble to show you there's a reason to living but yet not even give the girl a happy life at all.
How do you know that because of you going to the girl's house that morning that those minutes they spent talking with you didn't alter the girls time line just enough for her to get in a car wreck later that week or whenever she died.
Sorry to put such a downer on your experience but why would the whole universe revolve around giving you a sign. If you hadn't found the wallet you would still have found the grave but it wouldn't have had any meaning,it's just a coincidence in my opinion.

Originally posted by transubstantiation
why would 'god' go to such trouble to show you there's a reason to living but yet not even give the girl a happy life at all.

I don't know what kind of life she had. No one lives forever, and not everybody lives a full lifespan. That has more to do with nature, biology, and chaos than it does with God.

How do you know that because of you going to the girl's house that morning that those minutes they spent talking with you didn't alter the girls time line just enough for her to get in a car wreck later that week or whenever she died.

I don't know that--no one does.

Sorry to put such a downer on your experience

No worries. It's not a downer for me because I don't go so far out of my way to think catastrophically like that: "altering the girl's timeline and causing her to get in a car wreck."

That's just absurd, catastrophic thinking.

but why would the whole universe revolve around giving you a sign.

Never said that it did. It doesn't have to revolve around any one person. It can be orchestrated so that coincidences are noticed and are special to the individual who notices them. That's synchronicity--timely coincidences.

it's just a coincidence in my opinion.

That's a fair opinion. Thanks for reading and commenting.