How a Post-it Note serves as a reminder of God’s presence

By Tracy Souza

Tracy Souza

A navy-blue Post-it Note is taped inside the back cover of my Bible. 

In silver gel ink and beautifully scripted penmanship it reads: “Mrs. Souza we love you!” 

It was signed by my 4th hour girls Bible study, complete with an exclamation point and a heart doodle. 

I’ve carried this message of encouragement around for more than two decades. It was written in 2000 by one of my ninth grade students at Oklahoma Bible Academy where I taught for a short time while passing through Enid, courtesy of the United States Air Force.

I carry it as a reminder that God is ever-present in my life, even when I’m not paying attention. 

I carry it to remember that encouragement can come from unlikely people in everyday places, and often when I least expect it. It’s particularly reassuring on the days that feel extra difficult.

The day my student stuck the message to the top of a stack of ungraded catechism assignments was one of those extra hard days. My heart hurt deeply from grief. I was in my late 20s and barely a second year teacher.

My maternal grandmother had passed away the day before and I was wrestling with all the ways her death would ripple into my future.

I was trying to keep my head up and work through to 3 p.m. I fought back tears, just waiting for the bell to ring so I could lock my classroom door and let the grief slip out in the form of an ugly cry. 

I hadn’t told my students about my loss, but they could sense something was off. And so appeared the small personalized sticky square, slipped quietly onto my desk. 

“Mrs. Souza we love you!” 

In joy and pain, He was there

Now, more than 20 years later, the note still brings tears to my eyes. A reminder that God sees my hurt and heartache and reaches through the ordinary and into my life to lovingly pour out His extraordinary mercy and grace. 

It has been a source of strength and encouragement many times over the past two decades. 

It was there through the fear of the days immediately following the September 11th attacks when my husband at the time was deployed, and it was there for so many mornings when the exhaustion of being a mama to littles threatened to overwhelm. 

Most recently it soothed my aching heart as I sorted through collateral damage and grief as my marriage of almost 24 years ended in divorce.

A heart doodle and in silver-gel ink: “Mrs. Souza we love you!” 

As I pile up trips around the sun, every once in a while I stop to take in the panoramic sight in the rearview mirror, and I can see Him in the details of every snap shot.

He was there in the car accident that easily could have taken my life or the life of my unborn daughter.

He was there in the split second when my son could have slipped under the water in the deep end of the pool; instead I heard his small voice cry out above the noise of the crowd.

He was there in the unlikely friendships, the laughter of my teenagers, and the magnificence of a sunrise in the Grand Canyon.

Being a reminder for others

It’s amazing to me as I survey my 35-plus years of walking with God the number of times He has reached out from heaven and down into my ordinary to whisper, sometimes through a Post-It Note, “I see you. I know you.”

Some days life brims with simple joys, like when my coffee is a perfect shade of tan from my favorite zero calorie creamer.  Other days it’s overflowing with the kind of grief and heartache and brokenness that leaves my soul feeling more than a little raw and exposed.  

But regardless of where the day falls, on the mountain top or in the valley, the need to know I’m not on this journey alone is woven into the very fiber of my being. 

Because of the need I carry deep within, now it’s my turn. 

I also take opportunities to be someone else’s Post-it Note moment.  

Sometimes it’s leaving one of my kids a note on their bathroom mirror telling them they are seen and loved. Other times it’s taking a meal or a baby gift to the new parents next door. 

It’s smiling at a stranger as we pass on the sidewalk. And every once in a while it’s telling the lady standing in line at the grocery store just how lovely she is. 

I just need to be available in the process. So I carry my Post- it Note to remind me to be present. To remind me that I am not the only one that needs to be seen.

I carry it as a reminder to be present where I am, and to encourage others walking alongside me in this messy, overflowing life. I carry it to remember that God uses the ordinary to accomplish His extraordinary, and if I am paying attention I get to be a great participant. 

Every detail in life carries with it a message whispered softly to the very core of my longing soul: I am seen. I am known. I am loved.

Tracy Souza is a child of grace, a mama to a Not-So Little Miss and Mister, a “retired” high school teacher, a collector of many things, and a pattern/fabric designer. In 2019 her life took a very unexpected left turn when her marriage of almost 24 years ended. As that season of grief began to unfold, she found herself merging more of her faith into her design work and pursuing her love of writing with the goal of building community one story and one stitch at a time. You can find Tracy on Instagram @implumcute or on Facebook at Plumcute Designs.