A big fat raccoon stood peering into my dining room from the other side of the sliding glass door. My inherited dog scrabbled at the door, yelping. For a second I froze in fear. Big. Too close. Rabies. Sharp teeth. Claws that could scrape my flesh.
The dog raked her nails on the glass. I banged my palms and howled alongside her.
The raccoon hardly budged. The dog and I continued to shriek at it. But the coon just stood there with paws begging limply before her. She stayed, looking at us a little too long, looking more hurt than scared by all the carrying on.
It wasn’t until I got out my camera that the raccoon retreated to a corner of the deck. There she sat, watching us. Like she was expecting to be served brownies and wine.
It’s just too easy sometimes to wonder if the fox that trots by everyday, or the bird that flies multiple circles overhead, or the wind that drops a dollar bill by my feet isn’t my daughter who died, keeping watch over me.
Have you ever received a “sign” from your loved one who died? Do you believe it is possible?
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i am going to be writing about my experiences with the afterlife.
I lost my niece from leukemia, my mother, and my husband. They all contacted me. And none were very subtle. With my niece I asked a direct question. My mother we planned what she was going to send me so I would know. And my unbeliever husband sent me a message loud n clear. My granddaughter reminded me was him. Then two more from him.
Plus have had many other amazing things happen.
So do I believe there is life after death.. There’s no doubt in my mind!
I hope you’re right, Christina. You’re so lucky to have a strong faith. The messages and signs I find myself are subtle enough to leave room for wondering. But how can there not be something after all this?
Brownies and wine look delightful! Seems I would risk loud voices to stay there and imagine how good your life must be.
Thank you so much for reading and responding to my post, Emily. Brownies and wine are pretty incredible and life is good, even with my loss. Nothing stays put for long though. It all changes, we learn. But you are right – I should take the risks, loud voices and worse, to “stay there” and appreciate what is truly wonderful. Cheers to you.
Oh Robin, I have had several signs over the past 5 years, however, in the early weeks following Matthew’s death, the one that touched my heart so deeply is the time when it was a month after his death, I was standing outside feeling stunned and yet melancholy, my logical brain not yet in working order, and I looked up to the sky. At that moment, I noticed something floating down, as it came closer into view, I realized it was a feather and I watched as it drifted ever so slowly and zig zag like downward. I didn’t move but held out my hand where it landed right smack in the middle of my palm. In the seconds afterwards, I realized that there was a breeze so how could this weightless, tiny feather just “happen” to land in my hand without my having to make a move? Well there was no question in my mind that it was Matthew saying hi mom, I’m right here with you. He loved birds and so do I, and I thought too a sign representing freedom. For him, freedom from his earthly deamons.
Since then, I have always watched for signs. Our family will see a crane which just happens to appear in moments when we are together and are quietly thinking about him and missing him so much. Thank you for your post…. Your racoon picture is a hoot, I love it!!
Whoa! That is awesome. I love that. As I read your words, the scene played in my mind like a movie. Birds are such amazing creatures that it is hard for me not to think of them all as messengers from the heavens. Cheers to you and your angel-bird, Matthew.
By now, I don’t think there is anyone in the world who hasn’t been traumatized or suffered with other friends and family who have been traumatized. We can communicate with people across the world with a click of a finger on a smart phone. Let’s all get smart and realize that we are all in this together. Those of us who are left should learn to be there for each other, to cooperate, to share, not to compete for bad purposes. It’s not always so easy to tell what that means, but that is the challenge of living in the 2st century. Welcome back to the world, Robin. I’m soooo sorry for your loss.
With heartfelt and sisterly love,
Myra
That’s so true. People need to be more sensitive and supportive of one another. Where another has gone is not so far from where one may find him/herself some day. In this time of technology and global communication, we still need to learn to communicate with and support each other.
Your loss is my loss, my friend. Cheers!
I had a “sign” about a week after Adrian died. My sister was staying with me and we had been listening to a Leonard Cohen cd earlier in the evening. The player was “off” when we went to bed, but around 2 a.m. I woke to the gentle singing of “So Long, Maryann,” which was not the first track on the cd. Hearing this song felt comforting to me, as if Adrian was singing “good-bye” to me, but my sister freaked out. The next night she unplugged the player before we went to bed.
I love that, Lynne. Strange how some of us welcome signs and are comforted by them while others get all freaked out. Sometimes I think Adrian and Marika just want to remind us every once in a while that they love us forever. Cheers, Lynne.