When you begin to notice your signs, you will learn what they are truly here to show you things that you need to learn and know. They show you that your loved ones are watching over you and send their love, they help you through your fears, and they show you the path by guiding you during the adversity of the forks in the road.   

Find Your Signs in Nature

As I was on my walk, I started reflecting on what I accomplished during my summer break. Being an educator for over sixteen years, I normally worked part time throughout the summer at Extended School Year for special education students and I tutored students in Reading to help them keep the strategies they learned. This year I didn’t have the summer school gig and the tutoring had minimal days. This meant less money. Since we always struggled in the summer, I started to worry but once I listened to my signs and stayed in the flow, the universe took care of everything.

When I’m on my walks, I use them as a way to connect with nature, the universe, and wholeness. As I open up, I start welcoming the sight of my spiritual animals and birds. Because I lost my good friend, I began learning to listen from those angels around me who are sending their love through their signs.

Losing a Friend

Six years ago this month, one of my dearest friends passed unexpectedly from an aneurism. We were friends for 27 years and he was my encyclopedia to how a man’s brain works as well as someone I loved. One day as we spoke on the phone, he lived on the east coast and I’m on the west, we brought up in a silly way how we wanted the other to know if we ever passed. Kidding around, I said, “Be sure to come to me in a group of yellow butterflies! Since I love butterflies and yellow is my favorite color, I’ll know it’s you!” Little did I know at that point how the universe worked.

On a Wednesday, he passed but I wasn’t aware until five days later. Even when he didn’t return my texts, it never dawned on me that he was gone. That weekend was my youngest daughter’s bday party and the summer celebration pool party that we all enjoyed every year before my girls headed back to school; our eldest daughter headed back to college back east. As we walked the party food and items from our home to the clubhouse at our condominium complex, we couldn’t get over all the yellow butterflies swarming us.

Signs are Being Set Up

In recent years, our neighbor planted a tree that bloomed yellow flowers which is known to attract butterflies. Again, little did I know that was already planned out to begin to bloom on that August by the universe. I remember it took many years to grow from its original size of a foot to a six foot beauty shining its beautiful yellow blossoms asking the butterflies to come visit.

Thinking back like it was yesterday; I was enjoying the lounge chair up at the pool and couldn’t believe the number of yellow butterflies floating around. There were a group of five or six instead of the normal single butterfly floating by as I enjoyed the sun and fun. If I’m honest, they were giving me a feeling of peace and tranquility. I had fear inside of becoming an empty nester. Even though I knew I was heading back east with my college girl to set up her dorm, I wasn’t feeling anxiety or nervousness which I thought a bit strange for me.

Pain of the Loss

That Monday evening is when my life as I knew it changed. I was looking at posts on Facebook. I noticed how someone thanked my friend for his service. He had been in the Marine Corps and was a veteran of Vietnam. As I was wondering why people were doing that, I knew it was far off from Veteran’s Day. Just as I noticed more, I saw the words, “We’re going to miss you. We will always remember you.” Immediately, my heart sank. Out came a scream I’ve never heard come from me.

Looking back, I remember my daughter racing into my room. That’s really all I remember. I must have cried myself to sleep. The rest of that week like I was in slow motion. I couldn’t believe it. How could one of the most important people in my life be gone so soon? Although he was 14 years older than me, he was only 63. He always ate healthy, was a Tai Kwan Do instructor, and worked out every day.

The Signs Begin to Show Up

After we flew into Newark, we stayed with my bff’s home. She had set up an hour with a medium she had just met a few weeks ago at a yard sale. In a weird conversation, she was given the medium’s card. The first great sign, all she did was set up the appointment. She didn’t tell her anything about me nor did she speak about the loss I was going through.

Because my daughter was picked up by her grandma at the end of each college year, she stored her belongings at her home in NY. My daughter and I drove into my hometown from PA to retrieve her things and had a quaint homemade lunch prepared by my mom. I noticed that the whole time I was driving or mainly existing was still in slow-motion vibe. As a native NYer, I was actually honked at for going too slow while driving, first time for everything.

The Signs are Undeniable

When it was time for my first appointment with a medium, I remember greeting her but was a bit skeptical. I made sure that I didn’t offer any names or other information by only answering yes or no or just a nod. As my grandmother and father in law came through, everything was dead nuts; however my friend didn’t come through. I was a little saddened because I really wanted to hear from him somehow. Just as I was thinking about it, the medium offered her way of asking people to show up by knocking on their doors.

As I told her his first name, everything after that was unbelievably revealed by her. How did she know what nickname he gave me? His ethnicity? His personality? She never saw a picture but described him to a T. He was truly there. She told me he would use a hawk to show he was around in addition to the yellow butterflies. Since my father in law was also in the Marine Corps, I always see two hawks circling when we attend the wreath laying in Miramar, CA every December. He also mentioned that he saw me driving slowly and to become aware of it so I would stay safe on the highways. Mind blown; these were the only words going through my head.

Signs from Your Angels Show Themselves

Since my bff lived in PA, she went with me to drop off my daughter and something miraculous happened on our drive home. We saw hundreds of yellow butterflies on the side of the road. We weren’t too sure if that was just a coincidence until we were passed by hundreds of cars with a Florida license plate. He lived there the last few years of his life. To really blow our minds, we would see Florida plates with my daughter’s sorority letters and his name on large trucks.

On the way home to my bff’s house, we could hear ourselves yelling in laughter every time we saw groups of yellow butterflies on the side of the road, Florida plates, and his name on trucks as they passed. That was the time I really began to open up to the understanding of the universe. Because I stopped fighting the reason for the signs and believing, I began to understand that if I looked for the signs, and I could figure out things that I was questioning.

Signs Help Us through the Pain

At first, the loss was tremendous. I didn’t know how I would make it through all the pain especially when I lost my way. However, that was when he would show up. All the way out here in CA, I would see a Florida plate pass me as I’d cry on my way home from work. I’d see his name in books I’d read to my students, on the television, and was blown away when his name was written on Jeopardy one night. Because his name full name could be first names, there they were plain as day. The medium did mention that although he was newly departed, which I never told her, he certainly figured out things quickly. He mentioned to her that “he’s got this” when it came to him showing his signs.

Signs Bring Peace & Guidance

Now with him gone for six years, the signs are still helping me. I’ve learned that as I stop and become still, I could feel calm and in peace even if I’m going through adversity. Because he was my go-to when problems came up, I’m noticing that all I have to do is slow-down, look, and listen. When I stop and become quiet, I’m directed to the answers to my problems. I don’t hear words, but feel love and peace which opens me up to stay on course and think intelligently.

When things feel like I have to force them, then I know that is the wrong direction. If you ever get in that situation, notice the feeling of your surroundings. Are the ways you’re moving through this adversity met with push back even when the task is simple? Do you have that gut feeling that you’re not on the right trail? As I’m up against the wall in some of these situations, signs I receive help me to see that I don’t need to fear change. I’m guided back on track and know that when I’m met with feelings of peace. Having those feelings of calmness and peace are a great indication that you have found your way back on track.

Allow the Signs to Show Up

Besides the signs, use the stillness more by introducing meditation into your routine. It is the best way to find that stillness and stopping the world for a small amount of time in order to help you recharge. Think of it as stopping your car by a florist on the side of the road and loading it up with some beautiful colors and smells. Adversity will not stop, but by looking at the signs, you will find your way back to the new peaceful environment you’ve been creating.

** As I was writing, three yellow butterflies were flying by my window and dancing in the greenbelt of my condominium community. I know who that is! Just a sign to remind me that I’m being watched and I’m on the right track!

(In addition, I wanted to mention that when my youngest started attending Salve Regina and played volleyball in RI, there was a car parked in the athletic parking lot every year with Florida plates! He was watching over the babies as he would put it.)

*** Photo by Margie Deluco Roberts from her beautiful garden. Thanks, Margie!