When my mom was dying of pancreatic cancer in 2024, I asked her—if she could—to please send me a sign from heaven. I needed to know that her soul lived on. As a Christian, I’ve always believed in an afterlife, but watching my precious mother—my best friend—fade so quickly brought me such tenderness for her and deep anguish in my soul. It happened during an already difficult season of my life as my son and I were losing our dealership, the grief of everything felt almost too heavy to bare.
Three months after my mother passed, I received the sign I had been quietly longing for. My husband was out of town, and I’d spent several days alone. That night, as I walked into my bedroom to go to bed, something caught my eye—gently resting beside my nightstand was a photo I had searched for endlessly. It was of my mom, my sister, and me. A photo I hadn’t seen in months. I dropped to my knees, overcome with gratitude. I knew—it was her or God who had placed it there. (click on the images)
Today is my birthday. As I was starting a load of laundry, something unexpected happened again. At the bottom of the basket—one I’ve emptied countless times over the years—lay an earring I had been praying to find for over a year. But not just any earring. These were the earrings my mom wore to my wedding. My husband’s shirts and a few towels had just come out of that same basket, but there it was. My mom, sending her love in the most personal way—on my birthday, no less.
In my previous two blogs, I shared that I’ve been on a deep and painful journey to uncover the darkness I’ve carried for as long as I can remember. I had asked my brother, who passed away 31 years ago, to be my guardian angel—to help me face what needed to be faced. Slowly, painfully, memories have returned. Some I already knew. Others came in like a flood. And yet, through it all, I’ve felt my mother with me.
This birthday gift—this small, shimmering sign—was her way of saying, “I’m here. I see you. I love you.” And maybe… that I’m not alone as I step into the light.
