Started (not published) September 2015
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." Sometimes life gets busy. Sometimes I don't have time to stop and think or reflect. I need down time every once and a while. September of 2015 provided quite a bit of "me" time. We vacationed in Disney World. This was our second trip to Disney. This time, we went with friends. This gave the grown ups a chance to get out and let off some steam in a kid-free environment. My friend Jess and I decided to spend our evening sans kids at Jelly Rolls Dueling Piano Bar on the Boardwalk. We bought our drinks and sat in the crowd enjoying one sing-a-long song after another. We were impressed by the 4-part harmonies performed by the gentlemen on-stage. Then, I heard a familiar melody repeating over and over. One man played the piano while the other sat on top of the piano with his legs crossed. After a quip referencing Julie Andrews, the two men dove into Rainbow Connection. For once in my life, I was quick with the iPhone and started recording the worst-looking video you'll ever see. The melody was all I needed. The one gentleman did his best Kermit the Frog impersonation. He even imitated the Muppet hand with a prop. I admit I got a little choked up during this performance. If he only knew. The frog encounters did not stop with Kermit. That same night, I made a trip to the bathroom at about 3:00 a.m. I looked down at the bathmat, without my glasses on and poked at what I thought might be a bug. The creature hopped and although I couldn't see too clearly, I knew it was a tiny baby frog. I scooped it up and released into the hallway. I hope the little guy made it. I didn't think much of it. A few nights later. I was packing up, getting ready for our trip home. I stepped out onto our balcony to enjoy the view one last time and almost put my hand on a rather large frog perched on our balcony railing. This frog was not easily spooked. He stayed while Dean and I examined him. I took pictures. Dean made noises in an attempt to get him hopping. He made one short leap to a different part of the balcony, but remained there quite happy with the spot he'd chosen. Once again, I thought it was cool, but didn't think much of it. So the next day, as we were waiting to board our plane, I told Jess about the the frog on the balcony and the little one in the bathroom and she looks at me and says... "That's a lot of frog references in one week." Now that I think about it. It was a lot of frog references for just 3 days.
Those of you who know me well or have read my blog in the past are familiar with my family's affinity for butterflies. We cherish our butterfly moments as signs from Andrea. Those closest to Andrea know how much she loved the Muppets and Kermit the Frog. She had a Kermit the Frog phone. She and I both have a collection of frogs. I have several garden frogs in my yard and flowers beds. Frogs use my backyard pond at a home every spring. When Andrea was pregnant, she decided not to find out the gender of her baby, so most of the items on her registry were neutral in color and many of the the items were decorated with frogs. The song Rainbow Connection played a prominent part in Andrea's funeral. Andrea's good friend Estelle volunteered to make a video for Andrea to pay tribute to her. We spoke on the phone a few days before the funeral and we talked about songs. Almost simultaneously, we said" Rainbow Connection." It was too perfect. So you can see why that song provokes tears every time I hear it.
I'm not sure where I'm going with this. I'm not sure where I'm going with this...
August 24, 2019
I had forgotten that I wrote this blog. I signed on to start creating a new blog post when I stumbled upon this draft. So, I spent some time proofreading and editing this and stepped away for a bit. Later in the evening on August 24, I was channel surfing when I found "The Muppets" on Starz. That movie was released on my birthday in 2011. I tuned in just minutes before Rainbow Connection. I don't look for signs anymore. Maybe I'm too logical, too practical. But, the timing and coincidences still send chills down my spine. Saturday, August 24 was no exception. The signs are few and far between these days, but it's nice to catch them from time to time. Andrea, if this came from you, thank you for the coincidences. Happy birthday!
