My mom (a long-time Guideposts subscriber; I grew up with it) died in 1986 on my daughter’s—her first grandchild—birthday.
My father passed in 1998, and the day before I was to fly back to Canada from Baltimore, my brother and I went by ourselves to the cemetery for a last visit. It was a blustery September day. My brother’s choice of family flowers for the funeral was a stand with a huge white heart of carnations with a stripe of red carnations symbolizing a broken heart.
To our surprise (his more than mine as I am more accepting of the, shall we say, unexpected or unusual), there on my father’s grave were two crossed carnations, completely untouched and unruffled by the wind, even though quite a few of the carnations from the heart had already blown away. Just sitting there, united. He was stunned, I was at peace.
It has always been a reassuring thought!
Blessings!
Cathie R.
Dear Cathie,
Thank you so much for writing and telling me of your experience. I never cease to be amazed by all of the ways the Lord makes his presence known to us, to comfort us and to bring us peace. Life and death are mysteries and always will remain so, until we are in heaven. But while we are on earth, God presents his consolations, insights and wisdom to us on a regular basis. If we are listening and watching for him, we will sense his presence everywhere and in everything.
Surely you knew, and your brother as well, that God was letting you know he had them safely in heaven together, with him. When my sister Maureen died, a new nurse came into the room and laid one long-stemmed red rose on her chest. She had no way of knowing, that the rose had always been the symbol of our parents love for each other and all of us.
They prayed so hard in their lifetimes for her and it told us she was safely with them now. You simply cannot dispute these gifts which God gives to us so freely. You can read her story in my new book, More Glimpses of Heaven.
I wish you and yours abundant peace.
I would love to hear your stories of receiving comforting messages or signs as or after a loved one passes. You can send them to glimpsesofheaven@guideposts.org. And also, if you have any questions about end-of-life issues or experiences, please don’t hesitate to send them along as well.
