When someone asked me if there were really signs from others passed, I said Yes. As you start getting goose bumps and your eyes widen, keep in mind that these signs all depend on you.

I have found that signs are all around us every minute of the day. What we have to do to see them is to be in the right mindset. Think about it, when you’re caught up in some kind of stress or fear, you’re not being opened. Your mind is on something else so intensely that the hummingbirds or feathers can be floating right in front of your eyes, but unless you are focused and ready to receive, the signs become history.

If you’re someone who wants signs more than anything, just know that it isn’t about carrying a crystal in your pocket or doing any kind of ritual. The signs are out there and all you need to do is be available to receive them. My advice is to start by simply breathing. I believe that as soon as you’re in the present moment, you’re letting your mind receive. While in this space, think about the person you’re looking for a sign from. More importantly, remember all the wonderful things that fit just them. Maybe they loved to fish or quilt? Think of these different ideas and look for their signs.

I feel some that pass become very good at creating these signs for us through ideas they give us and through the animals and birds near us. When my good friend from Florida passed unexpectedly, I started seeing Florida plates all the way out here on the CA freeways. Some of these cars would be trying to cut in front of me and when they became successful at it, I notice it’s a Florida plate. Always brings a smile to my face.

As a video/reel dropped in front of my feed, I was reluctant to watch it. It wasn’t really something I was interested in but then there was my sign. In the background of the video, there was the back of a car with a Florida plate! See, some become very good at using anything that we use to say hello.

When my best friend’s mom passed, it was really hard for her. She was the daughter who did everything for her. Since her mom lived to be 100 years old, she spent a lot of time with her. I believe she lived so long because she walked every day of her life. As she sat beside the last week of her mom’s life, she went out onto the porch of the residence hospital. While sitting there, out of nowhere was a rainbow. That evening she passed. I remind my friend that her mom knew she was there, didn’t want you to be there, and left that beautiful parting sign.

Now whenever she thinks of her mom or is having a hard day of grieving, she’ll always see a rainbow. If not in the sky, she’ll see a huge truck drive by with a beautifully painted rainbow on the side. Out of the blue, a storm hit her town in the summer without warning. Immediately after, she saw a rainbow. Are some so good at sending signs that they can coordinate a storm in order to deliver someone a rainbow?

Before my special friend passed, we always joked about him sending me yellow butterflies since I love them and it’s my favorite color. Nine years ago, when he passed, I was hanging at the pool with my daughter. Since I didn’t know at the time he had died, there were about fifty yellow butterflies all around. I’ve never seen that before. While at my best friend’s home after my special friend died, she got a star balloon with a flag on it since he was a veteran, and we did a simple memorial. Funny how it shows up for both of us.

When my dad passed away five years ago, there was a different looking bird that I had never noticed before sitting on my wood fence in front of my house all day. It looked as if it had a crew cut. My dad had one his whole life. That type of bird shows up when I’m stressed, sad, thinking of him, or when I’m accomplishing something awesome.

Monarch butterflies are also signs from my friend. When I travel to my tutor students, there’s always one no matter what season flying right past my windshield. They always make me smile.

Last week on my birthday, I created a day to do all my favorite things. While on my bike ride through the quiet neighborhood streets, I felt like a kid. If someone was watching me from a drone, I must have looked like today’s version of Cinderella. There were so many yellow butterflies and Capa birds flying all around me.

Another sign from both my friend’s mom and my friend is a hummingbird. If the hummingbird comes real close to me, it’s my friend. If it’s dancing in the sky, it’s Mrs. Lusk. As I rode up and down my favorite roads, the hummingbirds would be ripping around me like I was a huge flower of nectar. The best part was cruising slowly and having a monarch butterfly swishing back and forth in front of me. I must have had the biggest smile.

Signs are real for me. You can see them too if you slow down and get into the present moment. Breathe, think happy thoughts of them, and get ready to see the magic. They’re there, you just have to be open to them and be in the right state of mind.