Seeing the Signs and Always Looking Up

I'm seeing signs everyday lately. Signs in the sky, signs in nature, signs in birds and rabbits not being scared when I admire their beauty, signs of a feather, signs from the angels.

I believe that our loved ones who have transitioned from this Earth in the physical form are always with us in the spiritual form. And one of the ways they can communicate with us is through signs. I have felt a deep connection with nature since I was a little girl, but I think the first sign I can remember after a loved one passed was a beautiful rainbow I saw shortly after my grandma's husband transitioned. Then I saw a precious little hummingbird outside my apartment in the middle of November right before a snowfall after my dear friend, Jill passed. A day before my grandma transitioned, Geovanny and I saw the most amazing night sky from our apartment. It was brighter and clearer than we had ever seen it from the city. We even discovered miniature constellations we hadn't ever seen before. In the middle of the night after my grandma passed, we discovered the only light in our apartment was coming from the angel atop our Christmas tree. And as I mentioned in my previous post from yesterday, two weeks ago, several days before my wonderful friend, Autumn became an angel, I saw a giant angel wing in the sky.



Then the day after she passed I saw a complete angel with two wings lit up with pink and purple from the setting sun.

And since then, the floodgates have been opened. I've seen hearts in the sky, more angel clouds, dragonflies fluttering by me as I walk, an orange butterfly flying right past my car window, a mini rainbow with what looked like a dolphin cloud (and some saw a heart as well), a beautiful feather cloud, angel wings in the form of rays from the sun, a chorus of angel clouds as I sat on my friend, Jill's commemorative bench overlooking the water, a hummingbird cloud from the same site, rays of light shooting up from the setting sun as if we were in Heaven. 

And then this afternoon after a pretty busy and stressful day at work, as I walked by some beautiful gardens on my way to my car, I heard the beloved and familiar clicking sound made from beautiful little hummingbirds, so as I always do since Jill's passing four and a half years ago, I stopped and tried to spot the divine creature. To my surprise, there were two hummingbirds frolicking together by some gorgeous red flowers and they seemed unafraid of my presence. So unafraid that they flew right by me in one of their frolics. Needless to say I was mesmerized. Then one of them perched on a branch and proceeded to rest and commune with me for over 20 minutes. At times, she would fly nearby to snack on some of the yummy pollen nearby but mainly she stayed on the branch communing with me. I even got out my camera phone, which didn't phase the birdie one bit, and tried to capture some of the magic of this wonderful gift, this blessing, this moment with Spirit.



But that's not all. I am training to walk a half marathon in a few months with my coaching buddies from Seattle Life Coach Training, and I decided to walk 5 miles this evening. I walked almost a mile and saw some pretty red flowers, different from earlier, but my intuition told me that hummingbirds would like this kind too, and sure enough, there was another little hummingbird, this one littler and fuzzier who just sat on a branch near me and didn't fly away. I was able to get out my camera phone as well and capture this sweet spirit. 

This was only a 5 or so minute encounter, but it really reaffirmed to me that the hummingbird is indeed a gift from Spirit. And that at the very least three of my special angels, Jill, my grandma and Autumn were with me today. Three distinct hummingbirds, all unafraid of me and willing to commune with me for a bit. The hummingbird is said to be the messenger of joy. To lift our spirits. I feel very blessed to be witness to these many signs that my friends and family who have passed on are doing beautifully in a different realm, in the spiritual world, in Heaven. And I'm blessed to have them in my life and to have my spirits lifted by their amazing signs.

Choosing to See the Blessings

It's been almost a month since I last officially blogged but writing is almost a part of my being, a second nature for reflecting and digesting the joys and sorrows of life. I have had both this past month. My dear friend, Autumn became an angel a little over a week ago after battling stomach cancer. And yesterday I completed my 125 hour transformational life coach certification. Sorrow and joy. Joy and sorrow. The ebb and flow of life. The high and low tides of the sea. The darkness and light. Ying and yang are not fanciful, they are reality. And one of the most powerful take-aways from my life coach training--although there are so many nuggets--is learning to ride the waves and be grateful for even the low points, for it is then when we can take time to refuel and reignite our flame, our inspiration, and through that regain momentum to move forward in the direction of our dreams. The road to our dreams is beautiful with all its curves, twists and turns, ups and downs, and essentially it is life. So why not make the most of it? Why not reframe it into something positive? I am thankful for my momma who has always taught me through her example to reframe. When I would say I have to do something, she would always rephrase it as I get to do something. It's subtle but so powerful. A slight shift in the way we view our lives can make a huge difference. It can bring us up from the low points so that we can open our wings again and soar. I know life isn't all about soaring. We must be grounded as well. And what a perfect time to practice grounding when you're down low! But it is always equally essential to feel grounded and in our centers when we are soaring so that we can really feel every feeling and be conscious of the amazingness of our current situation. To feel everything fully is one of the greatest challenges and blessings in life.

I haven't had as much time as I wanted to really truly grieve my friend's passing this past week, but throughout each day, I see signs. They are everywhere. Beautiful angel clouds. Hearts in the sky. Little rainbows. Dragonflies. Butterflies. Birds. Pennies. Feelings of love and reverence when I look up at the sky. These signs bring so much comfort and I can't help but feel blessed to have such a wonderful friend. I know our friendship continues into the afterlife. And I am so grateful for all the signs. For being mindful and aware and even capturing many of the signs with my camera. For the angel clouds bring comfort and hope to all who love her. Thank you, Autumn, for lighting up my life while you were on Earth and now that you're in Heaven. You are truly LOVE.

In sweet honor of Autumn Knopp Stockwell