Signs, Signs, Everywhere the Signs...

I've been thinking a lot about signs lately. The obvious ones, and the not-so-obvious ones. Now, I have to admit that I do believe in signs. I think I've mentioned before that I think of my life as a journey... down a brick road. (Dorothy's was yellow... mine is purple. What else would you expect?) I believe that God has a route all planned out for me, and that I can choose to follow this route or not. I know by now that life is always easier when I just go where I'm told... although this does not always means that's the choice I make. (I am a stubborn woman and occasionally make bad choices just for the sake of rebelling...) I think God has a specific destination in mind for me, and that there are certain attractions, events, and wonders that he wants me to experience along the way.

Sometimes, when I'm not so sure about which path I should choose, I try to quiet my inner monkeys and just... listen. I look for the signs... those around me and those in my heart.

But don't let all that stuff I just wrote make you think that this is a heavy or serious post in any way. I just wanted to talk about some of the signs I've experienced lately.

Some signs are obviously placed in our path to purposely manipulate our behavior. Here's one I pass every day on my way to Riley's daycare. I usually notice it because it seems so very unnecessary. It is on a stretch of road that nobody in their right mind would attempt to park on. There is no shoulder here, and cars/trucks/buses go zinging by at speeds that not only break the law, but quite possibly the sound barrier as well.

This is a common enough sign. It tells us to stop and look for oncoming traffic or pedestrians. (Of course, if you've never driven in St. Louis, you should know that the STOP signs with the white border are considered to be optional. This sign is more of a suggestion... though I would definitely not exercise the "option" with a patrolman sitting nearby! *wink*)

This is a double... it not only tells you that you should be going painfully s l o w (for no apparent reason), but also that you are driving painfully slowly through a St. Louis County Neighborhood Watch Area. (This means that if you look closely at the windows of the homes, you could very well see an older woman dressed in her housecoat, peering out a slit in her curtains, staring at you with her Bushnell binoculars... just smile & wave.)

Sometimes we come upon signs that seem not to be put in our path purposely (although we all know that Someone has to put them there...)

Take this one, for instance. The Cobra sitting in the driveway (instead of covered up in the garage) is a sure sign that Spring is almost here! Definitely a good sign.

The fact that behavior modification materials (which I had to make) for Tyson's school currently litter my kitchen table serves as a sign that my "Little Angel" is having some difficulty in school. Not a good sign.

Here is an interesting... strike that. Here is an ALARMING sign:
This is a sign that says: (A)I'm a much worse knitter than I previously thought; (B)This yarn really sucks; or (C)I've got a bit of a pest problem and they've been feasting on my handknits!!!
That sign lead to the following action: From now on, all of my handknit socks will be kept in Ziplock bags in my closet (and also will not be allowed to fall behind the dryer, which is where the pink ones became an all-you-can-eat-buffet. Please do be more careful, Matt...).

Here was another sign I experienced last week. This was actually several small signs, all pointing to the same outcome. I didn't get a picture of the first sign. It occurred when my boots (which I originally purchased while in junior college) fell apart while I was wearing them... in the middle of my work day. I took that as a sign that I needed to look for some new boots, so I headed to the closest shoe retailer: DSW.

I saw some great boots, and noticed that they were originally out of my price range. I took the fact that this price was marked out as a good sign.
Then I saw the alternate price... and realized they were having a sale: 30% off the colored sticker price! Another good sign. Much more reasonable, but still, I have trouble spending money on myself...
Then, I noticed the brand name of these boots:
As you all know, my name is kelly... I have a sister named katie. (I actually have three sisters, all of whom I love dearly, but for the purpose of this post, katie's name was particularly important.) How many times have I heard, "Kelly&Katie," as though our names had somehow been squished into one long word? Well, here they were... squiched together into one long word. That was the final good sign. I bought them & put them on in the car. They are super cute and super comfy. (And my receipt says that I saved $109.00 off the original price.)
See what wonderful things can happen if you just follow the signs?