—A Frog Named Red—
Watching someone you love go from healthy to death in a mere six months is hard. Losing a loved one is hard.
My Grandmother, “Nana,” had been diagnosed with cancer and given six months to live.
Each day, “Papa” and I would drive from Huntsville, Ala., down to Nana and “Pawpaw’s” house to see Nana.
When I returned to my house in Huntsville each night, a little red frog would be sitting on my back porch.
I would pick it up, sit in my swing, play with it for a bit and then let him go. (I’m guessing it was a male)
That frog showed up every night I returned from visiting Nana.
After Nanas’ funeral, when I returned home, there was “Red.” I had named the frog “Red.”
Then, after the funeral, Red only stayed for three more days.
Then, in 2010, after burying my brother, I returned to my home in Huntsville, and sitting on the back porch, was Red.
I hadn’t seen him in years.
He came around for the next three nights after my brother got buried, and then, I never saw him again.
Years later, now living with family because of my own health, I had to go to my nephew’s funeral.
As I returned home from his funeral, I was thinking about “Red” the frog.
I was wondering if he was on my back porch at my house in Huntsville. I rent that house out now, and I couldn’t drive up there to see. I wanted to, though.
When I arrived home, though, a red frog was sitting on the front porch.
(No lie. I have pictures.)
I picked it up and played with it for a bit. I knew it couldn’t be “Red” since Red was in Huntsville. This frog was the same color red, though. He was a bit fatter.
I played with him for a bit. He made me feel better.
It was like God was sending me a message that my loved ones were going to be okay— that everything was going to be okay.
That red frog would show up the next few nights to let me play with him. I even took pictures of him.
Then, he stopped coming around.
Since then, we’ve lost two other people in the family, including my Paw Paw.
A red frog showed up after both of their funerals and would hang around for a few days and then…leave.
I believe in God so, it’s easy for me to understand what is happening.
—God is using something as simple as a frog to let me know that everything will be okay.
