Do you ever get the feeling that The Universe is trying to tell you something?

I do. My cynical side tells me it's just wishful thinking -- the need to believe in a "personal God", the desire to feel like someone (be it The Universe or a guardian angel) is watching out for me, specifically.

Well, call me delusional, but I think The Universe was sending me a message yesterday. Here's what happened:

I'm a mom and, every once in a while, my kids really drive me crazy. Yesterday was one of those days. One daughter was moaning and groaning about her stomach, but the pains conveniently went away when I suggested she either stop eating or playing to go lie down. The other daughter was nagging me incessantly for a new backpack -- it had to be black, she insisted -- even though we had just ordered her a new one in December.

I felt frustrated and disappointed. What had I done to deserve such ungrateful, whiny children!? Thoroughly annoyed, I took away some of their privileges and told them to straighten up.

That night, just when I was sure they were all asleep, I heard one of the girls crying. It was daughter #2, the ungrateful one. When I went in to see what was wrong, she sobbed that she really needed a black backpack -- tomorrow. Alarm bells began to sound in my head. After she had calmed down enough to talk, I asked her why. It turns out, a boy at school had threatened to bring a chainsaw and cut up her family if she didn't bring a black backpack to school the very next day.

Nice.

Riddled with Bad Mommy guilt, I let her sleep in the Big People Bed. But The Universe wasn't done with me yet.

In the middle of the night, I woke to the sounds of daughter #1, the whiny one, vomiting. In her sleep. All over herself and the bed.

After giving her a shower, I let her sleep in the Big People Bed too.

Was The Universe trying to send me a message? I choose to believe so. So, um, Universe, if you're listening: Message Received. And, thanks.