A Buck and a Story

*When we help others, we often help ourselves too.*

As Josselyn, Indy, and I rode along the path—me on my scooter, the girls on a bike and longboard—I kept trying to think of the right words to say. Josselyn, at 23, has experienced more than her share of tough times, and I wanted to reaffirm that G-d sees her. Even in the midst of her pain, she isn't alone. Suddenly, a thought came to me: I could share a memory about one of the biggest "Godwinks" I’ve seen.

The moment felt perfect, too, because we planned to stroll right by where this memory actually happened years before. 

So, I started telling Josselyn about my baby, Zeke, who passed away. I sunk into sorrow after he died, not knowing how to move on. Then, out of nowhere, a neighbor expressed her sadness over my loss, especially voicing her grief over never meeting or seeing my baby who passed away. That same day, she gave me a statue, and I could hardly believe it because the statue’s face looked exactly like my angel baby. This alone felt like a huge sign from G-d that Zeke was watching out for us.

I cherished that statue for years, but then, something terrible happened one day. Right before we moved to Idaho, the statue broke, and I sobbed, feeling like if we moved, we'd be leaving a piece of Zeke far away, alone and lost.

Shortly after we bought our house in Pocatello, I went for a walk to a beautiful nature preserve near our home and prayed for a sign that we’d done the right thing, that we were where we needed to be. Right after this prayer, I went up the hill near our house and spotted something in my neighbor’s yard. My eyes squinted, shocked because the neighbors had a statue EXACTLY like the one of Zeke that had broken in Utah. The details shone so perfect—the small, precious hands, the soft, round face, the little bird he held gently in his stone hands. It felt like a direct message from G-d.

Just as I finished telling Josselyn this story, we passed the very spot where I'd seen the statue in the neighbor’s yard.

Josselyn suddenly cried out, “There's a baby buck! You see him?” And there he was, standing just across from Zeke’s statue. I’ve seen plenty of does in that yard, but never a buck, and especially not a little one! He stayed looking at us for a while, perfectly placed.

 

Josselyn’s eyes filled with wonder as she said, "That's another Godwink. It's like G-d is telling you that Zeke’s okay." Her words filled my heart with such peace. I’d asked Josselyn over, hoping to brighten her day, but she’d ended up helping me, bringing such joy into my life. I'm so grateful she took the time to go for a ride with me and Indy. She made that day unforgettable.