My Little Comedian :)

My Luke....he is a funny little guy, and this week he proved it. First I must give you the back story, so you can appreciate the humor in the situation.

It was the day after Luke's birthday and Mom and I were sitting on my front porch. I was sitting in the one of our Adirondack chairs, and mom was sitting facing me leaning her back on the column. Next to me was Luke's chair and then Vladi's. We sat there for a while not really talking....crying some, but mainly just sitting in silence....disbelief really.

It was in that moment that I saw something buzz by right above out shrubs that are no more than a foot high. I wasn't sure at first if it was a huge dragonfly or a hummingbird. Then it whizzed by again this time stopping to hover just over my Mom's right shoulder.It was clear then that it was a hummingbird, and he stayed right there for a good 15-20 seconds floating above her shoulder. I was taken back by this curious little bird....one because there were no flowers or feeders in site....two I cannot remember the last time I had seen a hummingbird (never at our new house).....and three it seemed as though he wanted to make sure I saw him.

I looked in shock for a second and when I could realized what I was seeing I told Mom to look, and as she turned he flew away. I thought it might be from my little man, but thought it would be a one time gift. Later that same day, that little hummingbird flew right up to one of the windows in our living room that face our backyard.....well he nearly flew into the window actually. I was screaming at Mom...."There he is again!! The hummingbird it back!!!" It was in that moment I figured everyone was going to think I was finally slipping off the deep end or see what I was seeing too.....

I knew it was more than a little hummingbird, that was my Luke coming to say hi! So that next week Brandon saw the hummingbird at their feeder for the next few days. He swears the feeder had been up for over a year never having any bird visitors. So of course we got a feeder, like Vladi and I live in the movie Field of Dreams.....if we feed him, he will come! And that exactly what he did, it was wonderful. Vladi had yet to see him, and I think he thought I was little crazy.

At this point the only people that knew about Luke's hummingbird was my immediately family. The first time I met with Tifni she handed me a badge holder with my initial on it, and says, "I picked the fabric.....hibiscus flowers are my thing for Brody." It was very casual and I didn't think much of it at the time. So I head home after our lunch, and then it clicks.....hisbicus.....hummingbird....hibiscus and hummingbird. WHOA! these two things go together, like two puzzle pieces. I felt the chills come over me....Brody and Luke lead us together. I was floored hummingbirds and hibiscus flowers do not scream baby....and definitely not baby boys!

So, we continued to see the hummingbird (everyone but Vladi)....he even made a few appearances over at Grammy's house too :) Then it was the week of his memorial and a few days before Vladi and I were working in the yard getting it ready for Luke's dedication. It was that day that Vladi started to believe too. The hummingbird went buzzing by and fed for a while then flew back up in the trees....and back to the feeder....and back to the trees. He continued like that for the better part of an hour. Our backyard was flooded with all things beautiful and living. Butterflies in every color filled the yard, lizards of all sizes. Butterflies kept landing on Luke's tree swaying on the branches filled with new growth. It was a magical moment. I could feel Luke there with us.

Then everyday....literally everyday that week, Vladi saw him at least once...usually twice, and he was always the one to see him first. I had made him move the feeder right up to our living room windows, I didn't want to miss him saying hi.

So the next few weeks were my first weeks home without Vladi, and Luke sent his bird everyday without fail, and then one day he came with a friend.....it was wonderful. They danced together in the air swirling around as if they were in a perfectly timed duet. They were slightly different in color, and even a few friends of mine saw him when they were over to visit. They didn't know about his hummingbirds....and we would be sitting in the living room talking when they would look outside and say, "Hey, look there is a hummingbird."

The one that I called Luke's bird, would seem to always stay a little longer....and few times he flew right up to the window.....looking me right in the eyes.....I know it sounds crazy. Maybe I am, but I don't really care. That was Luke talking to me. Oh and yeah, I got the pictures to prove it....seriously :)

So I was sad to say that the past few weeks I wasn't seeing Luke's bird. I thought it was because it was getting colder, but wondered if it was because I was feeling more sad those days. I longed for them to come back. They helped me feel connected to my boy, but it was in my sadness that I felt more distant than ever.

So we went to Burlington for Granddaddy's funeral, and while in their house I walked past Grandma's china hutch....and there a hummingbird figurine perched over a pink hibiscus. It stopped me in my tracks. He was there, and he made sure I knew it.

So, the Mom calls me over to show me something last week. She opens up a pair of workout pants of hers and there on the pocket is a embroidered hummingbird....and she opens up the waist band and there are two hummingbirds over hibiscus flowers. If that wasn't enough, she tells me she bought them the same day she bought Luke's gift for his baby shower, and had not looked at them or ever worn them since the say she bought them. AND they were hung in the baby section....that's how she found them....hanging in the baby section.

And this week.....this is how I know for sure my Luke is a funny guy! I keep talking to Abby at night, to get Luke to send his hummingbirds.....that I miss seeing his hummingbirds....meaning the live ones.

So I went about my way, still hoping that I would see he again before the Fall weather permanently set in. I stopped on my way home from work Thursday to get food for dinner at the good ol' Piggly Wiggly....don't hate, they have an awesome meat selection. Filet Mignon for 2 for $6.50....delicious ;) So I stopped by the bakery area, and was going to Vladi some of their banana pudding, he was having a bad day....he loves their banana pudding and thought it might cheer him up.

Of course not a pudding in sight.....then I looked to my left and there was a slice of yellow birthday cake with a hummingbird figure on it. WHAT?! A hummingbird on birthday cake?! Not a flower, not a balloon, not a clown.....a hummingbird! Ok random enough right.....well it was then I that I was laughing out loud in Piggly Wiggly knowing that Luke was behind this whole scheme.

I have a weakness for birthday cake......the yellow cake with white icing (its got to be the grocery store bakery kind). I have been known to even buy the little small cakes for any given reason (which usually meant none) because I just had to have a bite. As you can imagine, I ate my weight in cake while I was pregnant. Luke was probably 1/4 birthday cake.

So there I was staring at a slice of birthday with a plastic hummingbird figure on it......what I wise guy, that one! So I looked further to find they had exactly 3 pieces with hummingbirds on them....I bought them all naturally. Gave one to Mom and one to Melissa.

It was that night I a realized Luke was sending me his hummingbirds.....just not the ones I was looking for. He was sending them to me at Grandma's house, or on Mom's pants.......or on birthday cake :)

I know what you are thinking....hummingbirds are popular and are everywhere, and I know that. But I know when they are his, and when they are just there. I am not walking into a garden store and saying all the hummingbird things I see are from him.....of course they make me think of him, but I know he didn't send them.

He sends things that are clearly him, like when I was in Southport this weekend, and there was a hummingbird stake in the flower bed outside of this Thai restaurant that Vladi and I having been wanting to try.....we love Thai, or when I was in an antique store and there was a picture of two hummingbirds framed, and next to it where all these little framed pictures of different children playing on the beach....no other pictures in site.

So, I got a little comedian on my hands. He sends me his hummingbirds in the most unlikely places, but somehow they make the most sense in the world. He makes sure I know it was him too.....like putting his hummingbird on birthday cake!