Signs of Spring
Dear Friends,
It is no coincidence that Easter happens as Springtime begins to burst forth with new life, when color is re-introduced into the landscape, and the warmth of the sun can finally be felt on our faces again. In Christianity, Easter is very much about the reassurance we often need to know and believe that life goes on after death. I have found that this is a ‘reassurance’ that I need to experience over and over again, as so many of us do.
Throughout the years, I have had the distinct opportunity to listen to the stories of countless people’s experiences of ‘reassurance’ from the other side. I had my own personal, and what I consider monumental, experiences or ‘signs’ over the years, but it wasn’t until I started to hear the amazing signs people had experienced and shared in support groups, that I realized how real, how common, and how wonderful and healing these experiences can be.
What I call ‘signs’ are communications from those we know who have crossed over to the other side. Signs can take place in all kinds of ways, some of which are simply unexplainable and cannot be put into words. They can come in feelings that can well up inside us and almost overwhelm us, or they can come to us physically – when we feel a touch, or a hug, or a slight breeze in a room with no windows. They can come in coins – pennies, dimes… They often come through nature – such as animals, insects, birds and feathers. They can come in smells- perfume, flowers, or even cigarette smoke. They can come in annoying flickering lights, alarm clocks, or smoke alarms in the middle of the night. They can come in love songs that keep serenading us inside our heads, or songs that come on the radio at the right time and the right place. They can come in dreams, in cloud formations, on billboards, or toddlers’ observations and questions. Basically, if you feel it’s a sign in your heart and soul, then it’s a sign, it’s a communication of love.
It was June 24, 1983, when I was twenty years old, that I experienced my first ‘sign.’ My Dad died the day before of a massive heart attack. He was in great shape and seemingly
perfectly healthy, and so his death was quite unexpected and shocking. It certainly rocked my world and my family. Even though I didn’t sleep well that night, I got up very early the next day and watched the sunrise. My sign was one of a feeling of overwhelming love. I felt it rise like electricity from my feet, up my legs and spine, until the hair stood up on the back of my neck, while tears of love, sadness, joy, pain, and elation streamed down my cheeks and fell to the floor. I felt all those emotions and more at the same time, but it was all wrapped in light, as I watched that sun rise; -it was all wrapped in love. I felt my Father’s presence and knew it in my bones. I knew he was more than ok. That ‘moment’ that ‘sign’ carried me through the shock, the loss, the wake, and the funeral. It empowered me to go back to college and move forward in my life, despite the fact that I had lost a best friend, a huge part of my heart. That ‘sign’ kept me going and still does. It was my own personal ‘easter’ moment. I cherish it still, and thankfully I have had many more throughout my life.
Signs are extremely hard to talk about because they are so very personal. We may be making a deep, meaningful connection that someone else could never understand or appreciate, and we take the risk of being dismissed, or even worse, they may think we’re nuts. I have found that people are comfortable in our groups sharing their stories, and that is so very important. I wish I knew the ‘rules’ of signs or how and why they work. Why do some people get them and others don’t? I have no idea. I know my own experiences, and I continue to listen and learn. I find that it’s good to be skeptical, but also important to try to remain open while not judging your own experience or others.
I hope you don’t mind me sharing this very personal and impactful ‘easter’ experience with you. I share it with love and hope that it serves to give you some consolation as we move into Spring, and I encourage you to both ask for, and look for your own ‘signs,’
Happy Easter!
Peace and Serenity, Kevin