Ever experience a coincidence? An unexpected moment that seems too meaningful to be random? Here are three of mine:

1. Somewhere Over the Rainbow

At the end of September 2020, my mother died after a 13-year battle with Alzheimer’s. Our family came together on a beautiful, warm October weekend in Bloomington, Ill. to celebrate her and say good bye at a lovely funeral service. 

Afterwards, as I was driving back to Evanston on Interstate 55 still feeling the heavy emotions of a loss like this, a full rainbow suddenly appeared in the distance over the flat fields. I know it was a sign from my mother that she was finally at peace.

2. Let’s Go

My cousin Gayle died at age 58 from an unexpected medical complication. It was sudden and tragic for my family. A grade school teacher, Gayle loved butterflies. She also loved to play tennis.

Down a set and a break in our second set against a Wisconsin team at Sectionals in 2016, my partner Laurie and I were struggling. We’d been distracted by balls coming on our court from the ladies playing next to us and a man playing Frisbee with his dog on a nearby grassy knoll. It was affecting Laurie’s concentration more than mine. 

In order for us to win, she’d have to somehow figure out a way to focus. I wasn’t sure that was going to happen. I didn’t want to lose the match. These girls were beatable.

All of the sudden, a butterfly flew onto the court and went right by me. I instantly felt that Gayle was there with us. “Let’s go,” I said to Laurie. “We can do this. Forget about all that other stuff and get your head in the game.”

We broke back and won the next three games to win the second set 7-5.  Then we won the match set tiebreaker 10-5. Laurie and I didn’t know it until we came off the court, but our win had clinched the match and the sectionals championship for our 18+ 4.0 tennis team.  We were going to Nationals.

3. I’m Still Here

I’ve had many cats, but one of my favorites was Patch, an adorable little calico who developed kidney disease when she was only one year old. After spending thousands of dollars on meds to keep her alive, at age four, her systems shut down and I tearfully had to put her to sleep.

A year later to the day she died, I was working in my home office and felt a cat rub against my leg. Except there was no cat in the room. It was just Patch telling me that she was still with me.

Chance or Something More?

I guess whether coincidences are random, spiritually significant, or psychological in nature depends on how we interpret them and what they mean to us. Are they signs from the universe, offering guidance or reassurance? 

Or is it just the subconscious mind’s ability to notice connections and patterns that the conscious mind might overlook? Perhaps they are simply the inevitable result of probability at play.

Whether they are messages from the beyond or simply the beautiful randomness of life, they remind us to stay open to the mysteries of existence.

So, the next time you experience a coincidence, take a moment to reflect. Is it just chance, or is it something more? Maybe the answer lies in the way it makes you feel.