Have you lost someone you love and just wonder if they are ok? Do you question the existence of the soul after death? Do you fear it could just be “lights out” and that’s it?
Often, when something unbelievable or unexpected happens, people call it a coincidence. But what would happen if you accepted that these signs were something else? How would it feel?
Have you been receiving signs that you can’t accept? Or, are you yearning for one? Read on and become inspired to connect to your HIgher Self, your Heart Self, and perhaps you too, will find a connection to your deceased loved ones.
The Story of the Yellow Rose
At a recent silent retreat by the sea, a Sister of St. Joseph whispered this incredible story to me one night in the old building’s deserted kitchen. Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps.
Sister Mary, the oldest in a family of four, told me that she was seventeen when her father unexpectedly passed away. She told me that upon his death, she remembers only thinking one thought, “Things will be better now.”
Acknowledging that this was a strange thought for a child to have upon her dad’s death, she looked at me with eyes slightly askew and said that he was an alcoholic. Although she did not say it explicitly, her deep knowing eyes carried many implications that were left unsaid.
She proceeded to tell me about an experience she had a few years after his death while teaching 4th grade in Syracuse, NY.
Over the years, her mother had shared stories with Sister Mary about her father. She told Mary that her dad was a good man. The war had changed him, and he was never the same after his return. Slowly Mary started to have empathy for her father, who she’d harbored ill feelings towards for a great deal of her life.
Over time, Mary’s thoughts about her father’s “goodness” began to concern her. Compassion took the place of pain in her heart. Was he living in eternal hell? Eternal damnation? Or maybe, hopefully, he was okay someplace else? She needed to know.
So on a Saturday afternoon late in November, she – for the only time in her life – asked God for a sign. She just had to know if her father was ok. She told me that she needed a sign that was unusual enough that would typically never happen to her in her regular, daily life. Mary yearned for a sign that was so specific that it could never be dismissed as coincidental.
What could the sign be? “Someone should give me flowers,” she thought. “Who brings flowers to a nun? I never get flowers.”
After giving it even more thought, she decided that just bringing flowers was too general. “It couldn’t be just any flowers,” she thought, ”it had to be roses.” She paused again and thought, “No, that’s too easy, not just roses, yellow roses.”
Even that was not exacting enough for her, she wanted to make it harder. She could settle for nothing less than indisputable proof. So she went on, “I won’t be convinced that my dad is okay unless someone gives me one yellow rose.”
So it was settled in her mind, if someone gave her one yellow rose, she would know her father was okay. Her sign would be so clear that she could never have room for doubt.
First thing on Monday morning, a student from the class that she occasionally taught English to, walked in her room with a bunch of wildflowers in one hand and a single yellow rose in the other.
“Sister Mary,” she said, lifting up the yellow rose, ”this is for you.” Sister Mary could not believe her eyes. In shock, she objected, “Oh, don’t you want to give that rose to your teacher, Sister Rosalina?“
“No, Sister,” replied the young girl as she held up the wildflowers, “these are for her. This rose is for you.” No longer able to deny that this rose really was for her, Sister Mary finally accepted it.
She stared at it in disbelief. It was November in upstate New York. She had to ask the little girl, where did she ever find a yellow rose? The young student cut through the back alleys on her way to school, a route she didn’t typically take, but that morning it had been raining.
She saw this one lonely rose on a bush, and immediately knew she had to pick it for Sister Mary.
Is It Coincidence or Something Else?
Sister Mary’s story was amazing to me for several reasons. Her first response to my public request for stories of mystical experiences was to tell me that she did not have one. Once we started talking, she remembered this event.
It makes me wonder, how often do these unbelievable things happen, a beat-the-odds gift that there is no real explanation for? How many times don’t we pay attention to them? Do you think that this could have happened to you?
I’ve pondered this story for a long time and have told it to many friends and strangers. Who gave Sister Mary that indisputable sign? Was it her father, or was it God? Does it matter?
Sister Mary was worried about her father because as a Catholic nun, she was well informed on heaven and Hell. One can only imagine why a teenage daughter would think “things will be better now” when her father died, but as her understanding and compassion grew, she did not want to think that her dad was in hell. Her heart had softened towards him, and she needed to know that he was okay. So she took a powerful action and asked for a sign.
The Power of the Mind
In his book, Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul, Deepak Chopra posits that the “subtle action – one entirely located in the mind – should be able to create even greater change than a gross action.”
Sister Mary’s intentions, her prayers, her “subtle action,” inspired the manifestation that she could never have accomplished with physical actions. She needed her mind and spirit to bring this sign to her.
How Do I Get a Sign From My Loved Ones?
Are you struggling with the loss of a loved one? Are you looking for a sign that they’re okay? Sometimes it’s hard to accept that they’re still out there watching over you.
If you ask for a sign, and you’re open and perceptive to receiving it, you may get what you are looking for.
Our loved ones who have passed on frequently send us signs or visit us in our dreams. They want us to know that they’re okay.
WARNING: Deep grief will sometimes prevent you from seeing, or experiencing their messages.
A month or so after my husband was killed in a vehicular accident, my sister and I were walking my dog, not long after midnight. It was a weeknight, the neighborhood was very quiet, no lights were on in any homes, and a cool faint mist that filled the summer mountain air. Silence settled in our bones. Out of that, my sister questioned, “Do you smell that?” Suddenly I reveled in the smell of the sweet cherry tobacco that was my husband’s favorite when he smoked his pipe. We searched the darkness, the mist. Silence permeated the night. “I smelled that on 6th St. too”, my sister said, gesturing towards another block of our walk. I, deep in my grief, never noticed a thing until she mentioned it.
Read on to discover some ways that you can reach out to your loved ones and ask for a sign.
- Speak to them out loud or write them a letter. Bring your loved ones to the forefront of your consciousness.
- Sit in meditation and listen.
- When love fills your heart, trust what you hear.
- Notice what is going on around you. Are lights blinking on and off? Presuming there is nothing wrong with your wiring, spirits can affect our lights.
- Respond. When signs are given, pause, recognize the gift, and acknowledge your beloved’s presence.
Stay Open-Minded, and You Will Receive
Look around you and see what the world discloses to you. Who knows what signs, what mini-miracles, what yellow rose we can create and receive if we just ask? Perhaps you are more powerful than you think.
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