Do you believe in fate? I go back and forth as in some cases, it crashes head long into my faith. Fate and faith are so close in spelling and pronunciation but not close to each other in meaning. I do, though, have a story of fate – at least in my mind.

I think my mother, who passed away over a year ago, was pointing me to my location in North Carolina years ago. You may wonder how I figure this.

Back in 2011, I celebrated my 50th birthday. My mother celebrated her 70th about six weeks later. My stepdad had us all – my sister, myself, my mother’s sisters, and one cousin that lives close to them – out to the desert for a surprise birthday dinner. When I left the desert after my two week vacation, my mother gave me a silver bracelet that she had found in my uncle’s belongings when he died. It is a hefty cuff. I cannot make it smaller or larger on my own. I think it would need to be heated to have the size changed. It fits me perfectly. On it is an etching. It’s the sun nestled among mountains. I wear it constantly.

A year later, my mother sent me a wall hanging she had created and quilted. The center of the hanging features a cardinal. The cardinal is the state bird of North Carolina.

I am where I am meant to be.

Have you ever felt that signs were pushing you towards something? Does fate figure into your life?