Do You Ever See Signs?

[LighTrio]

Hello all. I just wanted to ask a question. I used to be in the medical profession, and I've also lost both of my parents and grandparents. I've seen a lot of people die...some slowly, some quickly. And After seeing some of the things I have seen in life, I have to ask this question. Does anyone else see signs?

I've seen lots of strange things, but nothing as much as the numbers that follow me after my mother's death. She always said that her lucky number was 5. My birthday falls on march 5th. It's a number she said she saw a lot and felt lucky for her. Since the exact day she died, that number...particularly the sequence 555...follows me (and my sister) everywhere. My mother passed away in May (the 5th month) in hospice room 5 at exactly 5:55pm. I see it on the clock constantly....but that's not all. lol....I had to laugh when I registered on this website and had to put in the confirmation code....mine was 155514. I also see the birthday's and dates of death for my mother and father (my last post was posted at exactly 11:17...my mother's birthday)

Ironically enough, there was a song playing when both of my parents passed away. For my mother, that song was "somewhere over the rainbow" The day we found out my mother had cancer, there was a huge rainbow in the sky. And I've seen them a lot since then. And I hear the song a lot. In fact, the last movie my sister and I saw with our mom was "50 first dates"...far before we ever knew she even had cancer....and that song plays at the end of the movie.

It's easy to think it's all a coincidence until it happens so often you just can't believe that anymore. Has anyone else had similar experiences....and if so, what do you think it means?

[MartyT]

Dear friend,

I hope our members and visitors will share some of their stories with you here, but in the meantime it may comfort you to know that many, many others who grieve have had experiences similar to yours. Author Karla Wheeler refers to such important moments as “comforting coincidences,” which she has gathered from many sources and compiled into an uplifting book, Afterglow: Signs of Continued Love. Her publisher describes the author and her book as follows:

Author Karla Wheeler thought she was an expert in grief, having served as a volunteer bereavement counselor as part of her longtime hospice volunteer work. But when her father and father-in-law died just four weeks apart — each of a different lingering illness — Wheeler realized there are no experts when it comes to grief. A woman of deep faith, she longed for a sign from her two dear Dads that their love was still alive. Readers of her newspaper columns, published across North America, were touched by Wheeler’s examples of comforting coincidences and began sharing their own similar experiences. Hence, a compilation of such stories, written from the heart, to help heal grieving hearts everywhere.

Afterglow: Signs of Continued Love brings comfort to anyone who is grieving the death of someone dear. Whether your special person died last week or last decade, you might find yourself yearning for a sign that their love continues to shine. Be assured that you are not alone. Countless others understand the depths of your loss and the intensity of your longings. Among them are the bereaved mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, and others whose stories appear on these pages. These grieving men and women — regardless of their religious beliefs or lack thereof — each experienced a comforting coincidence, a sign of continued love after death. An unexpected rainbow, an eagle soaring high, a shiny nickel in the sand... such experiences brought them comfort during their darkest days. They share their stories with you in the hope of easing the way for you as you also journey along that sacred path known as grief.

The publisher invites those who’ve experienced a comforting coincidence following the death of someone dear to share their own story, for a future edition of their Afterglow book or one of their booklets. You can mail your story to Quality of Life Publishing Co., P.O. Box 112050, Naples, FL 34108-1929; Fax to: 1-239-513-0088; E-mail to: afterglow@QoLpublishing.com. They’ll accept a rough draft or even an outline, as they are “more interested in the ‘heart’ of your story than in the manner of your writing/editing.” If you prefer telling your story to writing it, you can telephone them toll-free in the U.S. and Canada, at 1-877-513-0099. Or, call 1-239-513-9907.

[Maylissa]

LighTrio,

I'm glad you mentioned this, specifically numbers, because I get these all the time, even now, 6 years after our fur-boy's death, just a bit less often now compared to as soon as he'd passed on. He's been sending me his age, 13, ever since, in numerous forms, like on TV/radio stories, in newspapers and other print media, on the microwave ( MOST times I happen to check how many seconds are left to go, it's almost always "13"...for all of those 6 years! ). This started as soon as he'd gone and was more prevalent back then ( as I'm sure he knew I needed these signs more often then ), so much so that to test it, I began recording how many times in one day his # would appear and it was usually at least 3, sometimes as high as 7 or 8! I 'reasoned' that if the #13 was so loathe to N.Amer. society, it sure was strange how many times it was either used ( like in the # of people in a committee, for example ), or just came up ( as in # of people injured in an accident, for another example ). I know we often see things more simply by focusing on them, but I tried to also notice how many other #'s were coming up during the same period, and they were far more random, w/o repeating themselves anywhere near as much as his "13". And through the years, although I always take note when his # appears, it always appears more frequently when I'm really in need of hearing from him ( and I'm usually saying so to him ).....this HAS to be more than coincidence, something I don't really believe in anymore. Had I only gotten numbers, I might not have been so convinced they were from him, so these were sent in conjunction with other, more powerful signs that used senses other than sight, such as tactile and auditory signals. The most signs I've gotten were from my furbaby ( most much more dramatic than this also-comforting 'numbers game' ), and other signs from my Mom and brother as well.

As for what it means, if nothing else, I think it's just a wake-up call and reminder for our loved ones to say, "I'm still with you, even if you can't see me with the physical eye." and " I love you, so I'm picking something you'll notice to let you know I'm aware of your pain, and I love you still." That's my take on it, anyway. I also figure it's probably just alot easier for them to send signs that attract our consciousness ( like, "...check the time, or microwave...NOW...), than it is to use some other mediums, like mucking with electrical stuff, etc. So whatever they, individually, find is easiest for them to 'manipulate', that's what they'll use most frequently. Make sense?

Edited March 14, 2006 by Maylissa

[shubom]

I use to see numbers as signs before, but I've learned to tune them out, thinking that maybe I was just stuck on that particular number. So at this point I really don't remember. All I know is that there have been 2 strange coincidences since my mom has passed. I use to belong to a Church study group, but when my schedule got too hectic, I stopped going. Well after my mom died, I sent out an email to the group letting them know what happened. I didn't know how they'd respond since it had been months since I been. What was shocking was how I saw them a few days later in a store while out shopping with my friend and her family. I was having a horrible day, and to see them was shocking. They were comforting and supportive and asked when I'd go back. It was such a weird coincidence because in my mind, I felt like God was telling me everything is ok. Another incident occurred when some friends took me out to dinner. As I was leaving the restaurant, someone tapped me. I turned around and it was my mom's good friend. I almost choked. It just broke my heart. Seeing these familiar people or strange occurences makes me cringe. I miss my mom so much. I really don't want to see any of her friends ! I don't want to see our next door neighbors ! I don't want to see the mailman, the trashman, the landscaper ! All these people knew my mom, and they loved her ! The memories hurt so much and seeing my mom's friend was torture to my heart. :( She started crying and didn't know what to say to me. It was so intense that I felt like my mom was still there. Like she set it up or something, however I know that's not true ! I don't know what to think. Has anyone had any strange occurences like that?

[Guest Mandylynn4]

I stumbled across this site while looking for something completely different, but decided to stay and read a bit. This post really took me aback, so I thought maybe I'd share my own experiences.

My grandfather, who'd had heart troubles for probably 20 years, passed away last April. I can't tell you how much pain I went though...and even though it's almost been a whole year, it still hurts so much somedays. I only remember "snippets" of the funeral and family wake...like my mother asking me to go see him before the rosary service and I put up a childish fit in my grandparents' living room because I refused to go...irritation at a cousin's wife who thought it would be wonderful to take pictures of grandpa in his coffin...anger at my sister and father who wanted to read the note I wanted to place in the casket with him when I wanted it to be only between him and I...the priest at the funeral service holding my hand during communion instead of letting me just go back to my seat...

It's all so horrible and I'm just crying as I write it. I guess I have it in my head that I should be over this by now - it can't possibly be "adult" to be upset about it still. I'm only 23 years old, but I'm trying so hard to "get over it."

Anyway, signs....

I got married last July, to someone I'd been dating for well over 6 years. My grandfather had never met my husband, but he knew all about him. I remember shortly after we'd been married, I had this dream. My grandfather was standing in a kitchen somewhere, leaning against the counter, and he just smiled and said, "I hear you got married." Then, a few momments after that, he got a puzzled look on his face and said, "Was I there?" When I told him that he didn't quite make it to the wedding, the smile came back and he told me that he was there. Needless to say, I woke up crying - happy crying.

Also, from April through August, I would get up out of bed and on strange days, I would find coins laid out beside my bed. They were always right where I'd step on them and they were always in different denominations - never the same amount.

The other day, when I was watching "American Idol," something I rarely do, one of the contestants started singing a song that I thought was merely something I'd heard before. When I really tuned in to what was being sung, I started to get upset. It was a song my grandfather LOVED. He used to have control of the remote during holidays and it was usually sports he watched, but on the Thanksgiving before he died, when everyone was gathered around, he watched country music videos 24/7. He watched them so that he could hear that one song - it drove us all crazy because the videos looped every two or three hours, so we heard the same songs. But when that song came on, he'd turn it up so loudly, the walls were shaking. So, hearing that song gave me chills to say the least.

I hope that someday the pain will lessen. But until then, I'll keep in touch by writing him letters and taking them out to his gravesite - even though I know grandma reads them. (She found the postcard I'd left on our way back from our honeymoon and read it.)

This was definitely a purge of emotions. God bless.

Mandylynn

[Maylissa]

Yes.....songs....I've had experiences with those, too, for each of my 3 losses. And I know, Mandylynn, which one you're speaking of, as I have that on a CD compilation I titled "Love's Remembrance" that I use as a tribute ( and purging ) for my loved ones on anniversaries, etc. It's called "To Where You Are" by Josh Groban. Made me catch my breath when watching "Idol" when I realized what song it was being sung.

My own signs have included suddenly hearing a song all about mothers and how they can't be replaced in our hearts and lives after they're gone, when I was trying to sort through my Mom's clothes on my trip back home after she had died. I don't know who wrote it or who sung this rendition ( someone 'country', I think ), but I'd heard it maybe only once or twice in my life before then and that was long, long ago, so it must be a really old song ( yes, I just insulted myself! ). I still keep hoping it will show up again, so I can add it to my collection. Anyway, I was positive my Mom had sent it to me, just at the right moment, when I was finally alone ( except for my in-law's 2 cats, who were keeping me company ), with my heart breaking, thinking "This is IT....all that's left of my Mom...all I'm gonna get...a few clothes, but ones I know so well...."

I also had the most clear occurance of a song being sent to me from my furbaby, when I was missing him so badly one Christmas after his passing. I'd asked him that morning to send me a sign and within minutes of then, I hit upon a radio station that was playing, not Christmas music, but a really obscure song from an award-winning animation film - a song I'd adapted to fit my fur-boy and used to sing to him when we'd be out playing in the tall grasses across from our home, and which I'd also sung as the last item at the burial service we had for him. It came on right at the chorus, which was the only part I knew ( and sung ). It was perfect, as far as signs go. Little else could have been more exact, personal and loving a sign than that.

I also remember one day, missing my brother badly, and a song came on the TV, a classical piece that my brother had often played on his guitar, strolling around the house...again, not a common one that you normally hear anywhere....but that piece spoke volumes to me, as my brother and I both played mainly classical music and I could never get enough of hearing him play. It was one of very few things in our home-life that evoked a sense of peace for me, and something I hold very dear.

So song has come through as a common denominator of signs in my losses. I didn't expect any of them, yet there they were, from each of my loved ones. There were a few more, but these were the 'high notes' of them all.

Edited March 22, 2006 by Maylissa