Project 1 (Revised Draft)

Signs of a Loved One in the Hands of God

I believe God has directly sent my family and me signs. This indicates that our lost loved ones are in his presence and care. When I was ten, I lost my great-great Aunt Jo to old age. Now one might ask, “How close could you really be to a relative like that?” Most people do not even meet their great-great relatives. On the contrary, ever since I was a baby, I had spent many days over at my grandparents’ house. In this house lived my great-great Aunt Jo, my great grandpa and grandma Weber, as well as my grandpa and grandma Bevillard. So throughout the years, I grew extremely close to all of them. As a result, my great-great Aunt Jo’s death was the first one I had ever experienced. It was really tough on me considering I grew up with her in my life since I was a baby. That day at Hope Hospice I had a calming presence come over me that reassured my thoughts of her entering into Heaven. There was just one problem. As a young boy, I felt I needed concrete evidence from God. I wanted to be shown that she was ok and with Him. As I walked outside onto the patio that was connected to her room my eyes caught the sight of an amazing butterfly garden. Right then I saw the most beautiful butterfly I had ever seen in my life. I said a prayer that very instant thanking God for letting me know that she was with Him. One year later, it was my great grandpa Weber’s time. I was now eleven, and was starting to wonder why I was losing people that I loved so much. So, on this rainy Father’s day, my family and I waited in the hospital room as he took his last few deep breaths alive on this earth. As he drifted away into an interminable sleep, I slowly saw the tears drip down the faces of all who were in the room. Then, I suddenly peered out the window to find a rainbow stretching across the sky. Right then, I knew that I had connected with God again. My great grandpa Weber was being welcomed into the Kingdom of God. At the age of thirteen, I was hit with the death of my beloved great grandma Weber. This death also left a gaping hole in my heart. My great grandma Weber was placed into Hope Hospice. The doctors knew with her old age that it was only a matter of time before she passed. A few days later, she died peacefully in her sleep. As we collected her things out of the room at Hospice the next day, I finally noticed a large picture of a brown pelican hanging over her bed. Later, as my grandma Bevillard and I were carrying some of her things out to the car I realized that on her straw purse was another brown pelican. At first, I thought this was just a coincidence, until two days later I was over my cousin’s house; sitting on his dock was a big, beautiful, brown pelican. This reassured me that she was in a better place.
Two years later as a fifteen year old, my great Aunt Linda died. Her life on earth was extremely difficult. She faced many hardships that she had no control over, but was kind and loving to everyone. To this day, her death is one of the hardest for me to swallow. I felt that I took the time that I spent with her, the gifts she always seemed to give me, and the love she always showered upon me for granted. She ended up dying of colon cancer that spread to her liver and lungs. She did not deserve a death like that. I believe it was her time to go and that was truly the only way to stop her suffering. I felt a large amount of regret after her death and needed a significant symbol that she was really with God. The next few mornings when I walked up the driveway to get the paper, I heard the singing of a crimson cardinal. I just watched the bird for a while, but did not really think there was any connection to Linda. That day was Linda’s funeral, and I was not able to attend because it was in New Jersey. My grandma told me that there were beautiful pictures of cardinals in the room that Linda’s wake was held. It all finally clicked and I thanked God that second for the sign he sent me. It may be a stretch for some to understand where I am coming from with this idea. This is something I believe in strongly that helps me get through each day. I have faith that God sends signs to people that their loved ones are in his hands.