This last week was a horrible week for my home, Rapid City, SD.
During broad daylight at 4:30pm three of our officers were gunned down.
Two of our brave officers plus the shooter didn't survive.
Everyone is worried about what is happening to our community.
Generally Rapid City is a safe place.
Things have been hard for many people I know as of late as well.
I have a friend whose father had to have his leg amputated due to a diabetic ulcer and
a week before that he had lost his job working for our local news paper after 26 years of dedication.
South Dakota is a right to work state so of course they didn't give him an answer as to why they were letting him go, but it is believed to be because of his health problems.
He is not the only one to have lost his job recently either. I have quite a few friends who have been let go from their jobs as well. I have yet more who are in danger of losing their jobs from my old employer due to new very strict attendance policy guidelines.
Every night before going to bed I have been praying for my friends, family, and community hoping that things will get better soon.
I know that they will. Why? Omens of course.
A few things happened that I am happy to share.
First........
After hearing about the many bad things going on and the worry building up I posted a video on my Face Book page of Creedence Clearwater Revival's " Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" That song has always been a reminder to me that sometimes things do get tough, but they always seem to get better.
A few hours later I got in my car and was driving to work and I was listening to the same song because it just so happened to be on the radio. As I was driving along listening to the music it began to rain. Since then it has rained every day or every night. It's as though god himself heard my worry and saw what was happening around me. I believe that god has been making it rain as a sign that sometimes things need to start new.
How does the grass grow? How do plants receive life? Rain. Rain is what helps create life and gives era to all beginnings. I believe that all the rain is a message that new beginnings are to come for everyone in Rapid City. At first I didn't think anything of it and I wrote it off as coincidence.
Second........
The following day I got into my car and was driving to work when all the sudden this great big light green bug resembling a grasshopper came out of my air vent up by my windshield. He appeared to not have wings. By huge I mean in length he was the size of my hand.
The strange bug hopped up onto my steering wheel. At first I thought I was going to wreck because I am scared of large bugs. I panicked, screamed and got into the turning lane to turn off so that I could dispose of the strange bug.
While I was in the turning lane the giant grasshopper like creature just sat there and stared at me. I looked into its beady eyes and to my surprise they sparkled. It felt like I was looking into the eyes of an old soul. After a few seconds passed the giant bug jumped up to my driver's side window and clawed at the glass with its legs asking to be set free.
Stopped in the turning lane waiting for traffic to stop in order to turn I rolled down the window and the bug gave me one finally look before jumping out.
To me this meant a great deal. The grasshopper family and their cousins are all considered to be good omens. They mean hope, luck, love, and in some cultures fertility.
Ancient beliefs also state that when you see a grasshopper and it just looks at you like that (along with other insects and animals) are really just the spirits of passed love ones coming to visit you and to let you know they love you.
I had finally turned off and I parked my car and sat for a few moments thinking about what had just happened to me. After adjusting I pulled out and continued to drive to work.
It was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. Seeing the giant grasshopper type bug made me realize that everything is going to be okay after all. It was the confirmation I desperately needed.
I learned that day that sometimes the small things in life, the things that happen to all of us, actually add up into a much larger picture than I realized. Sometimes when we think that life is not what we think it should be, that nothing we do matters, it really does. Every life amounts to something.
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