I have always prayed for signs.

After losing my mom, I was especially desperate for them.

I remember telling my uncle, the priest that I had prayed for a sign my mom was okay and that I had asked for one by the end of the week. I wanted to make sure that I didn’t miss it.

My uncle just chuckled.

“Only you would give God a deadline,” he said.

* Shortly after we lost my sweet nephew, I regretted not saying how grateful a person he was while speaking at his service. As this thought crossed my mind, I pulled into my sister’s house. The license plate on the car next door, read “GR8FLL.”

* The day of my uncle, the priest’s funeral we got up unexpectedly to move a car. My sister and stared at one another as we gazed at the license plate of the car parked in front of us. It read, “PRAYY.”

* A dear friend lost his battle with cancer. A movement in his honor was called, “Rock The Purple.” He was on my mind as it was near the anniversary of his death. A car passed me. The license plate read, “PRPLE.”

* A friend’s sister needed surgery. We let her know she was in our prayers. She would politely thank us and tell us that she wasn’t particularly religious. She raced to the hospital when her sister took a turn for the worse. A car pulled in front of her. Just as she was about to voice her frustration, she noticed the license plate stating “Ask God.” Her sister survived.

Archangel Raphael, the patron Saint of healing, the body, mind and spirit is believed to be the angel who delivers these license plate messages.

I still believe in signs. I still pray for them. I am still open to them.

However, I now leave out the deadlines.

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