Do You Believe in Fate?

The world is a funny place. Things fall together, bad and good, and somehow things just work out. Sometimes it's as simple as a long drive on an the back-roads and a gift that makes things make sense.

Today, I went to my mother in law's house to work one some donations that she received for the yard sale. That's a whole separate post on its own, but before we dove into the bags of donations, she gave me 2 small gifts. She and Nana, hubby's grandmother, where out shopping and she saw these two turtles. She thought of me and gifted them to me. The smaller one's shell opens and she suggested putting a keepsake, like a small locket of Tiny Human's hair, inside it. It was a moving and extremely thoughtful gesture.

A sea turtle and a snapping turtle to add to my collection.

My love of turtles started many years, back when I was in college. I have a good sized collection of turtles on my bookshelves. Many have been gifted to me by various people. Hubby got me a stuffed turtle the first month we dated. I've gotten a few from friends, added paintings, and vinyl stickers to my car. I even painted a large wooden turtle to go on our living room wall.

A sample of my collection.

My affinity for turtles seems to know no bounds. I went through a major transitions in my life prior to meeting Steve. I designed this tattoo to represent the break and change that was occurring in my life. In the center were 2 turtles. I told Steve that he could never leave me because he was permanently on my back.

Where am I going with all of this turtle talk? Turtles are known for their slow, quiet demeanor. As an animal totem, when they're seen in our lives, it's a sign to slow down. The turtle totem, so to speak, has been with me for a number of years and the idea of slowing down and taking my time to learn, are slowly coming to me.

However, sitting on the couch this afternoon with my mother in law, I pointed out that green turtles are native to Samoa. Do you believe in fate? I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it. Was my fixation on turtles leading me to this much larger journey? Did my turtles guide the path to where my husband and I are now? I'd like to believe that fate offered a hand. The coincidence is all too strong to be ignored.

Yes, I believe in fate.