I have a Brian Andreas Story People that has been hanging in my home for years that totally epitomizes me. It reads: “I use to wait for a sign she said, before I did anything. Then one night I had a dream and an angel in black tights came to me and said, You can start any time now and then I said, Is this a sign and the angel started laughing and I woke up. Now I think the whole world is filled with signs but if there’s no laughter, I know they’re not for me.”
I’m always asking my Angels and Guides for signs and thanking them for leaving feathers for me… or receipts with number pattern signs...or license plates,etc. …clear, reassuring messages that they are present in my life. But it’s not just angels that come to us. Loved ones who have crossed over do too. For instance, my father comes to me in the form of a bald eagle! This doesn’t surprise me with his love for animals being so strong!
When my father lay dying in the care center for days, my family and I were taking turns being with him and caring for the four dogs he had at home. It seemed that at each stage of my mother’s Alzheimer’s disease, as she left him little by little, he would fill the void with a new pup. Now that she had passed, and he was preparing to join her, we were saying our goodbyes to him and thanking him for all that he had done for all of us. His breathing had changed and we knew his soul would soon leave his body. But it appeared like he was struggling with something…his body writhed and we thought he had died but then he took in a gasp of air. It startled us. I then walked up from the foot of his bed, and whispered in his ear, “Don’t worry, dad. We’ll find good homes for the pups!” And with that, he was gone.
My dear friends helped us place three of his dogs and my sister and her family adopted one as well. Molly, his beloved golden retriever, went to my close friends, and they gave her a wonderful home on six acres of land and helped her to lose weight and enjoy romping around with their other dog and two cats. She was a happy, tail-wagging pooch who would greet you with two or three toys in her mouth and lean her full body weight into your legs. Her way, it seemed, to show you her love! A few years later, after I had moved out of state, my friend called me up to say that Molly had cancer and she was having a difficult time swallowing. They said that they were going to have to put her down in a few days…on a Saturday. I was stunned! Sobbing, I thanked them for giving her such an awesome life and I asked if they could hold the phone to her ear so that I could thank her for the joy she brought to my dad and myself and others… and I was able to say goodbye.
That Saturday arrived and as I was leaving for a hike, I stopped to text my friends to let them know that I was thinking of them and Molly too. I sent the message and left my cell phone at home and never gave it another thought.
My partner and I were about a mile or so into our hike when we came around a bend and I heard an audible sound from Beth. I followed her gaze up to the top of a pine tree on the trail and there it was…a big, beautiful, majestic bald eagle with its wings stretched out wide. It circled above us, perfectly framed between two tall pine trees for about five minutes or so before it disappeared from our view. Tears rolled down my face as I sensed and knew it was my dad!!! While it was above us I could feel such love and peace…and gratitude…and a sense of reunion…and then it hit me! Molly was back with my dad!!!! The tears fell harder now as I was filled with such joy!!! I asked Beth what time it was, noted it, and continued our hike. I felt like I was walking on air. I thanked my dad for showing up and I was soooo happy for their reunion!!!!
When we returned to the house I texted my friend, who had lovingly cared for Molly, and I shared with her my eagle sighting and what I felt. I asked her the time that they put Molly down and I wasn’t one bit surprised when she told me that it was right about the time the eagle—my dad—appeared to us! I texted her back and said, “Don’t be surprised if you see an eagle sometime soon. That will be my dad thanking you for all you did for his pup.” Her response gave me tingles! She said, “Shan, this morning, before we left for the vet, a big bald eagle was soaring over our home!”
I was soooo invigorated that I texted all of my siblings to tell them the story and to reassure them that, though our folks and my brother have crossed over, they are never really that far away! There are signs that they give us all the time! We just have to notice them! The family text exploded with gleeful sharings but it was my brother’s private text to me that gave me full body chills!!! He said, “Ordinarily I don’t buy into all of this stuff… but today, around that same time that you saw your eagle, there were two eagles circling just above my house…and I’ve never seen that before!!! That’s too much of a coincidence!!!” I said, “I think you just saw Dad…and Kev!” (our brother who is on the other side). Crazy! Awesome!!!
So how do your loved ones appear to you? In the form of a cardinal who sits in the tree looking at you? In a beautiful butterfly or dragonfly that continually flits around you? In a song that you just 'randomly' hear on the radio? In a scent that envelops you in familiarity??? It can be soooo sad and painful when they leave their bodies behind…but I just want you to know that they haven’t left YOU behind!!! It seems as though it is when you least expect it that they appear…wrapping us in their love!!!!
I hope you all have a wonderful Father’s Day, whether your dad is here on earth or on the other side. And I’d LOVE to hear how your loved ones, in spirit, visit you!!! Feel free to leave a message here.
--Peace and Love…