Debra Basham

Living and Loving

Tag: synchronicity

  • Snow Bird Sees Rare Bird

    It has possibly been the longest ever period between posts for the Yellow Brick Road…. and I cannot say what has kept my fingers off the keyboard, but this Snow Bird before doing anything else this morning has to write about having seen a rare bird.

    The significance of this bird began many years ago, but came to full bloom on Friday, and was confirmed on Saturday. Perhaps all of life is like a pregnancy in that way: Between conception and delivery, there are many detailed steps that have to occur. There are three stages of fetal development: germinal, embryonic and fetal. Most people don’t talk about their pregnancy in these terms, but it can be helpful to know.(Cleveland Clinic)

    I was riding my bike to a weekly thrift sale at Christ Community Church, here in Punta Gorda, on Friday, February 9, 2024, when I spotted a bird I could not identify. Not only could I not identify this bird, I knew beyond a doubt this was a species of bird I had never previously seen here, nor in Michigan, nor in Tennessee or anywhere else in the world I have ever been. As I stopped riding, parked my bike along the road, took out my phone and started walking that way, the bird flew up onto a utility pole. I snapped several photos but I was far away and the bird did not pose!

    The bird was bright blue, close to the blue of an Eastern Bluebird, but much larger, about the size (and similar to the shape) of a Blue Jay. Definitely not like the Blue Jay markings or head.

    At home that afternoon I began searching the internet and the fit that kept coming up was the Florida Scrub Jay. This bird is noteworthy on several counts. It’s the state’s only endemic bird, which means the Florida Scrub Jay is found nowhere else. It was listed as a threatened federal species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1987 and is protected by the Federal Endangered Species Act. I knew about this bird because of two dear Michigan friends who were avid birders. He died in 2008, and here is their Florida Scrub Jay Sacred Story:

      Florida Scrub Jay
      Published by Debra Basham in Sacred Stories in February 2023

      She and her husband were avid birders. They loved traveling with a group, often going distant places in search of specific birds. One such sought-after species was the Florida Scrub Jay.

      According to Wikipedia, the Florida Scrub Jay is the only species of bird endemic to Florida and one of only 15 species endemic to the continental United States. Because of this, it is keenly sought by birders. She and her husband had made this trip previously with their group, but the Scrub Jay had eluded them each trip.

      After he passed, she decided to go to Florida in search of the Florida Scrub Jay one more time. This time, while she was there, she would spread some of her husband’s ashes.

      Although in Florida, there are no state laws or restrictions on where you can keep or scatter ashes, she wanted to do this privately. When she felt the time was right, she hung back from the group and discreetly scattered his ashes at her feet.

      Suddenly the entire group swarmed her! The precious, previously-elusive, prized Florida Scrub Jay flew down immediately and began eating her husband’s ashes!!!

      She laughed later with friends saying she wondered what parts of him were being enjoyed, but mostly she let her heart be held by this evidence of his loving presence….

    I sent the photos I took to my wonderful birding expert, Hart Rufe, who is a Snow Bird himself. He could not see the bird well on his phone but Saturday morning he responded, “I looked at the photo of the Jay on the wire, and was able to blow it up. It does indeed look like it could well be a Florida Scrub Jay. If there was one in that area, there should be more, as they are birds that hang out in small flocks of four or five together, with one normally on lookout duty.”

    I looked up the spiritual meaning of the Florida Scrub Jay. That seems beautifully timed for our world as well: The ability to find solutions when none present themselves obviously requires lateral thinking, creativity and a willingness to be innovative and pioneering. Scrub jay teaches and fosters this ability as a guide, its presence in your life suggests that the ability to problem-solve is strong in you at this time.

    Sunday morning I rode back to that area again, and while I did not have another sighting, yet, I had tears of awe realizing the odds of my seeing that rare bird while riding my bike past there at 10 MPH…..

    This Snow Bird was certainly blessed beyond words by seeing that beautiful and rare bird which also has such profound meaning related to my friends.

    Note* February 16 is the birth date of my Michigan birding friend whose ashes were savored that day by the Florida Scrub Jay.

  • God’s Message in My Boot!

    (Reposted from Facebook with permission from Shana.)

    During my prayer time this morning, I prayed about a situation I was wrestling to get my mind around. The situation wasn’t news to God. I am pretty sure God was probably like, “Yes, Shana, I get it; we’ve talked about this before.”

    Then, as I was getting dressed for work, I grabbed a pair of boots that I have worn at least a couple of times this season, and a piece of paper fell out. It was a fortune from a fortune cookie. I’m not sure how long that piece of paper was in my boot nor how it got there, but it was a message I needed to hear.

    “Develop some flexibility in your point of view.”

    Well played, God, well played.

  • Business Plan – Jaxx

    They were text chatting about mindfulness and Buddhism, and the mind states of greed, when he told her he was starting a real estate business, with the name Jaxx in it.

    She sent some information about the Buddhist practice of Muditā, a dharmic concept of joy, particularly an especially sympathetic or vicarious joy—the pleasure that comes from delighting in other people’s well-being. The traditional paradigmatic example of this mind-state is the attitude of a parent observing a growing child’s accomplishments and successes.

    She asked him if a slight change from thinking “I” must make this work to knowing “the universe” can make this work for the good of all beings lessens any fear for him. He said it did.

    Spontaneously, she searched for the spiritual meaning of the word Jaxx and this came up:

    In the Bible, it is the short form of Jaxon, meaning “God is gracious.”

  • Mary’s Magnificence

    She got flowers for a chanting session for their dear friend, Mary, who was on hospice care and very near the end of her life. After Mary retired, she had worked with community based organizations helping seniors deal with issues surrounding death and dying.

    That chanting session had been six weeks and 3 days ago….

    She wanted to see if the flower would survive until 49 days after Mary died. It was clearly almost gone, but she was so grateful she had saved it. When she went to look again, the flower and one green stem had moved from one side of the vase toward the center front.

    She said she knows the dog did not move it, and she is taking this to be a sign that Mary was there to mark the end of the 49 days1

    Many Buddhists believe 49 days is the longest length of time the intermediate or “bardo” state before a person’s next incarnation can last. “Could be that Mary’s already reincarnated, though I would think she might want to rest a bit before coming back,”she shared.

    So grateful to share in the magnificence that was and still is Mary.

  • Game On!

    Her husband absolutely loved watching sports on TV and he ALWAYS had on one game or another.

    After he died, the TV would come on in the middle of the night.

    Their TV set was old and it would just be static and white noise so she got rid of it!!!

    (I found this online: “Spirits are said to consist of energy that can be measured by electrical devices. So it stands to reason that they can manipulate electrical objects around you. They could try and get your attention by making your lights flicker or even turn things on or off.” Over the years I have heard of many such occurrences shared in our Grief Journey Group, and I have also had experiences myself. ~ Debra)

  • They Stay

    Making preparations for the interment of his ashes that would take place two days after his birthday — on the one year anniversary of his death — she was having a particularly difficult day. It was the first time in 39 years she did not celebrate his birthday with him.

    She was talking to him, telling him about the interment plans. Then when she looked at her phone she had his photo!

    Just before the closing prayer, she would share these powerful words by the poet, Naomi Shihab Nye. They encapsulate her experience of losing him.

    People do not
    pass away.
    They die
    and then,
    they stay.

    Note: Naomi Shihab Nye is an Arab American poet, editor, songwriter, and novelist. Born to a Palestinian father and an American mother, she began composing her first poetry at the age of six. In total, she has published or contributed to over 30 volumes of poetry.

  • Moon in Clouds January 23, 2024

    The moon was directly overhead where she was wintering in Southwest Florida. It looked full, had a gorgeous lunar halo, and she could see a distinctive heart shape in the clouds so she grabbed her phone to take a photo to share with her friend in Colorado. It was often cloudy at home in Michigan, and she would miss seeing the full moon, so her friend had been sharing a photo of the full moon for several years.

    But when she looked at the photo she had just taken there were two images, both were undistinguished as the moon. One looked like shelving and the other was just a whitish streak, similar to what happens if you move the camera too quickly. Checking online she saw that the moon was not even full until two days later so she did not try again to get a photo.

    The following morning, however, she received a magnificent photo taken by her friend in Colorado.


    Although the “full” moon was still two days away, her friend had captured the image she had failed to get — complete with the heart she had seen in the clouds!

    “The same moon shines in every back yard,” as the saying goes….

  • One Tear “Drip”

    He had touched many hearts during his brief one-hundred-thirteen-day life.

    She recalled having heard that it must be a very special incarnation for that soul who completes a lifetime so quickly. She lit both sides of the candle the morning after he passed, loving and honoring his passing while offering continuing prayers for his twin brother.

    The twin-flame candle had been gifted to her, touted as both odorless and dripless. It had previously been both, but this morning she saw one l-o-n-g drip from the right side flame — running all the way to the base.

    It was as though she was seeing the sacred honoring of his life with this one tear drip….

    In Psalm 90:12 it is clear that Moses contrasts the brevity of life with our eternal nature: “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (New International Version)

  • Trust the Magic of Beginnings

    And suddenly you know:
    It’s time to start something new and
    trust the magic of beginnings.
    ~ Meister Eckhart

    Today is the first day of 2024.

    Yesterday afternoon I went into a different area on my bike ride. I was only lost between 8.88 miles and 12.22 miles….

    Suddenly I knew I had gotten turned around and did not know which way to go. I stopped and asked directions back to the main road. The man and woman were out in their driveway because they were checking on a Gopher Tortoise that was on their driveway. They were relieved to know it was just sleeping in the sunshine on the warm pavement. It has been somewhat cool here. In fact, it is 49 degrees right now.

    “Is this the direction to Rampart Boulevard?” I asked.

    The man pointed. “At the stop sign, make a right. Your next right will be Rampart,” he assured me.

    I rode in that direction but when I got to the stop sign I knew right where I was, and I was somewhere I did not want to be — on a busy road with no shoulder.

    So many people are right where they do not want to be. Dear Michigan friends here in Florida are very sick with violent intestinal symptoms (either flu or food poisoning); some dharma friends in North Carolina are sick with Covid when he was to be leading a New Years retreat; Stacey and Doug are sick in Tennessee with the respiratory bug that kept Jackson home from daycare all last week.

    Part of the challenge was/is a long canal that ran between where I was and where I wanted to be. One gift in the adventure was my successful riding 15 miles just a few days earlier. It had been many, many years since I rode 15 miles, but yesterday I knew it was possible so I was persistent. Assessing my options at that stop sign, I decided to move ahead I needed to begin by retracting my steps. Even after finding a patch of shade where I could see Google Maps on my phone, I still took a few wrong turns and had to back track several times.

    What a relief when I finally saw a memorable patio heater along the side of the road, left there for trash pickup. I absolutely knew I was back on the road that would take me home!(My phone was only on 7% power when I arrived home.)

    My first hawk sighting here in Punta Gorda was a Red-shouldered Hawk in the neighbor’s yard. Over the next week or so I had several different sightings (one flying with live catch in its talons), a pair sitting side-by-side on the power line right along the sidewalk, a single also sitting facing me on another power line. I was not able to get photos for identification on any of those, but at the exact moment I was enjoying that feeling of relief knowing I was going the right way I saw another hawk. This time I was able to get a fairly decent photo. My beloved Florida birding guide (Hart – such a great name!) identified this one as a Cooper’s Hawk with my photo.


    From Animal Speak, by Ted Andrews:

      Part of the Role for the individual beside whom hawk flies is that of Guardian of the Earth Mother. These are individuals who will possess an astute awareness of the concept of the interconnectedness of all things, and will have an inner reverence for all life.

      These are the souls that are involved in making the world a better place, whether locally or globally. They will be protectors of the Earth Mother and tread softly upon her, encouraging and educating others to do the same.

      Often, they are either found initiating or actively involved in environmental causes, where their keen perception and insight will serve their chosen cause well. Yet it is their day to day existence and fundamental philosophy/foundation of action and belief, that distinguishes these individuals as true champions of Mother Earth as they seek to live in harmony with the ~Ina Maka~ and all that She births, provides, nurtures and sustains.

    The ending of the opening quotation by Meister Eckhart begins with trust. Then it mentions magic. Finding the way home after realizing I was lost took a lot of beginnings.

    And suddenly you know.

    It’s time to start something new.

    “Trust the magic of beginnings” is a great mantra for 2024….

  • Happy Birthday from Heaven, Jennifer!

    On Thursday evening she and her husband were at karaoke in southwest Florida.

    A woman joined others at the table next to them.

    At the exact same time she had the thought, her husband spoke, “That woman reminds me of Jennifer!” (She had worked with Jennifer’s mother fifty years ago. Their families went to church together. Of course, he used Jennifer’s maiden name, they had known Jennifer since she was a young child but it had been years since they had seen Jennifer.)

    “I just had that exact same thought!!!” she exclaimed.

    Jennifer and her husband had been living in Georgia for some time now. Both of Jennifer’s parents had passed. She sent a message to Jennifer through Facebook Messenger, telling her what had happened, saying simply, “Know you were being thought of!”

    “Aw, thanks. That was sweet of you,” Jennifer responded.

    She wrote back, “I am not sure of the significance of the timing for you, but it was sure a strong connection for both of us!”

    Jennifer’s reply was oh, so telling, “It’s my birthday so I was just making the rounds and saying hello!”

      “People you love never die. That is what Omai had said, all those years ago. And he was right. They don’t die. Not completely. They live in your mind, the way they always lived inside you. You keep their light alive. If you remember them well enough, they can still guide you, like the shine of long-extinguished stars could guide ships in unfamiliar waters.” ~ Matt Haig, How to Stop Time