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For many years now, frogs have been the creatures who act as my signal, providing me with a glimpse of the near future. I think of them as symbolic of transformation.
\nDuring the warm summer months, Cuban tree frogs hop onto our windows, drawn by the insects that are attracted\u00a0 to the lights in our offices. They are the largest tree frog in North America and \u00a0are fascinating to watch. The top photo is of a frog\u00a0 paying homage to a pasted frog on the inside glass of Rob\u2019s office window.<\/p>\n
Considering the number of frogs in our yard, these guys rarely get inside the house. But when \u00a0they do, it\u2019s usually significant in some way, even if that significance isn\u2019t immediately apparent. \u00a0\u00a0It often means that an event is on its way into our lives. If the frog is healthy and vital, then the event is likely to be transformative in a positive way. If the frog is ailing or dead, then the event is likely to impact us negatively.<\/p>\n
Some years ago, Rob, Megan and I got home from somewhere and found a dead frog in the middle of our family room. Megan glanced at both of us. \u201cUh-oh,\u201d she said. \u201cDead frog in family room. \u201c<\/p>\n
And I thought: Yeah, someone in the family is going to die.<\/p>\n
Some hours later Rob\u2019s mother called to tell him his dad was in hospice. Rob flew to Minneapolis. His dad passed away three days after we\u2019d found the dead frog.<\/p>\n
On another note, in February of 2003, I found a live frog in my office, caught and released it. I knew good news was headed my way. Two days later, I received a call from a fellow writer, Glenn Meganck, who told me my novel, Out of Sight, had been nominated for an Edgar Alan Poe Award for best paperback original, by the Mystery Writers of America. I spent the next 3 months visualizing myself winning the award.<\/p>\n
In early May, I was in New York at the awards dinner and I won. I already knew my acceptance speech by heart.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been like this for decades. The frog, alive or dead or somewhere in between. In the house or outside. The state of the frog and where it\u2019s found are intrinsic to what\u2019s coming up. So on February 5 or 6, 2023, I was moving some stuff around in the family room, trying to make room for Rob so he could keep his leg elevated. He\u2019d had knee replacement surgery. I pick up a plate with the frog on it and it cracked. It split in half.<\/p>\n
For moments, I just stared at it, all sort of terrible things dancing around inside me. Bad luck, bad luck, plate with frog on it broke in half. BUT. It wasn\u2019t a real frog, just an image, surely it didn\u2019t mean anything, right? A couple days later I bought some super glue and fitted it back together. The next day, I had to take Nika to the emergency vet and ultimately she was euthanized.<\/p>\n
On June 6, my sister, Mary, died suddenly. of a strep infection. I wrote about it here<\/em>. But no frogs made a prior appearance. There was no warning symbol at all. Why not? What has changed? The fact that there was no warning was part of the total shock of her death.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For many years now, frogs have been the creatures who act as my signal, providing me with a glimpse of the near future. I think of them as symbolic of transformation. During the warm summer months, Cuban tree frogs hop … Continue reading