Do You See Signs?
I spend a lot of time looking for something. I realize this sounds like the beginning of a joke, but I’m actually serious. In fact, sometimes I’m so tuned into the world around me that I sometimes miss what’s going on around me. If you’re one of the people that couldn’t get me to see you “that one time”, I’m truly sorry. Sometimes I’m distracted.
One of my favorite things to do when driving along Highway 36 is to look for birds hanging out on the lamp posts. I’ve seen owls, hawks, eagles, crows, and pigeons. What amazed me was finding out that other people don’t look for them. I’ve been doing this for most of the last couple decades and it’s only been a couple years since I learned to pay attention when seeing birds of prey, not only to the bird, but to my thoughts or conversation. They are messengers trying to communicate with us.
Whenever I see a cardinal, I think of my Aunt Roz. She loved them and we spent many hours at her kitchen table watching them and many other birds at their feeder. When she passed, it was the cardinal that reminded me most of her. And I have no doubt that she brings them to my feeder to let me know she’s still nearby. It’s the same with my grandma and Monarch Butterflies.
My dad passed away in 1984. The first time we went to the cemetery as a family after his ashes were buried, we released balloons (yeah…I know it’s super bad for those birds that I love, but it was 1984 and we weren’t privvy to that information yet) and a rainbow appeared to catch them. You better believe that rainbows remind us all of Dad. He’s also good about using his birthdate and death date as signs to me DAILY to remind me he’s still with me. Thanks, Dad! I love you too. When he would get home from work, he would empty his change into a can in the pantry where he kept his wallet, his pocket protector with pens and tire gauges, and his pipe. The can had a paper label on it that said “Pennies from Heaven”. One would think he would be bringing us pennies right and left. Maybe he did? We just never associated pennies with Dad.
That’s the thing about signs - you need to be open to receiving them. You need to notice them. And, in order to keep getting them, you need to acknowledge and thank whomever is putting them there for you.
Signs are not always physical. I remember to thank my angels when I find a feather, but also when I’m going about my day and one of my ears (usually the right one, but not always) starts ringing. I’ve also felt a tousling/tickling in my hair. Imagine the Peanuts cartoons and Charlie Brown wanting to tug on the Little Red Head Girl’s curls when she sat in the desk in front of him - except I’m not in a desk with someone sitting behind me.
Sometimes signs are olfactory, or a familiar smell in an unfamiliar place for that smell. Angels, for me, bring a sweet smell. If I were to smell Aqua Velva Cologne, I would immediately think of my dad.
A particularly popular sign for people, including me, is songs. Sometimes a song I haven’t thought of in years pops into my mind. For example, when considering what to write for this week’s blog, “The Sign” by Ace of Base started playing like an earworm in my mind. Since I’m not in a relationship I need to free myself from, I took the literal “sign” as the sign I needed to blog about signs. The whole song doesn’t need to be accurate to get a message to you. In fact, sometimes the lyrics will be all mixed up as the melody plays in your mind. It’s just a way of getting your attention. If I didn’t heed it, it would likely persist and frankly, there are other songs I’d rather be entertaining myself with in my head.
Songs aren’t limited to those running through your head on repeat in order to be a sign. Sometimes they are the songs you hear when you turn on the radio or are in a store. My husband was looking for a card for my best friend and knew he had found the perfect one when he heard Prince start singing Purple Rain on the radio because she’s a huge Prince fan.
Loved ones who have passed will often make it a point to play a song for you as a way to let you know they are near and they love you. Sometimes, they’ll skip the song and send a doppleganger in your path to give you pause and remind you they are near. Sometimes it’s the flickering of lights to punctuate something you’ve just said that lets you know Spirits are close.
The most important thing to know about our Guardians, Angels, Guides, and Loved Ones is that because they cannot communicate with us in the same way as those breathing air with us, they need to find other ways. However, the only way these other ways will work is if we are open to them and acknowledge when we experience them. It’s okay to ask for clarification, “Grandpa, if that’s you flickering the lights and not the wind, could you do it again right now?” But realize…if it’s not Grandpa, and it’s not the wind, you may get the same answer. Trust yourself. If you think it’s a sign, it’s a sign. We are surrounded by a host of spiritual beings that want the best for us. The more we acknowledge them, the closer they will feel. In fact, if you’re ever feeling unsafe, ask for help. If you get that warm, peaceful feeling in your chest, that’s a sign too.
