It is often said that cardinals are a sign from beyond, from our loved ones who have passed. When you see a cardinal, it is believed to be a message to let us know that we are not alone and that our deceased loved ones are with us in spirit. At one time in my life, I didn’t really put much thought into the visits from the vibrant, bright red birds. My thoughts on this would forever change after we lost Daria.
Prior to Daria’s passing, I never truly paid attention to how many cardinals took up residence in our neighborhood. Sure, there may have been the occasional sighting while we were taking a walk or playing outside with the girls. But I had never encountered a cardinal so obviously wanting to be seen and acknowledged as I would experience soon after we lost Daria. I remember noticing at first one cardinal, sometimes two, flying by the front of the house. I would notice these quick darts of red go by the front door sporadically throughout the day. At first, I wouldn’t think much of it. It was when I would go to the door to look outside when I realized that the red flashes were indeed a cardinal that was flying past our house. I first thought it was a neat coincidence. But as it continued to happen on a regular basis, I would feel as if we were being looked after. There was an energy to these moments that I was connecting to. It was peaceful and positive. This gave me comfort and hope that I would at least get through that day.
From Reflections, Chapter 24: All in a Name
“In the fall of 2020, the school was occasionally back to a hybrid schedule due to the uptick of new COVID cases. One of the assignments that Ava had to work on was for her language arts class. She would have to read a short story and then answer a multiple-choice question based on the story that she just read. I can still vividly recall how excited her voice was when she called me into the room to look at her monitor. She had just read a short story and needed to select from two characters that were randomly given on the screen. The two names that happened to pop up at this moment were DARIA and LYNN. Daria’s middle name was Lynne. To have one of those names in front of us would have been an “oh, wow” moment for us. To have both names staring back at us was what we felt to be a sign that Ava was being watched over while doing her schoolwork. Through her entire schooling, Ava has needed a bit of assistance with her work. Either Daria or I would spend a little extra time with her on assignments, and with a little extra grit and determination, she would get her work done. This particular moment offered a bit of comfort for both Ava and me…a little reassurance that Mommy was there to continue helping her along.”
From Reflections, Chapter 25: Cardinals and Hearts
“I would be working at the dining room table, with the front door opened so that we could get some daylight into the house. I would notice these quick darts of red go by the front door sporadically throughout the day. At first, I wouldn’t think much of it. It was when I would take a break and go to the door to look outside when I realized that the red flashes were indeed a cardinal that was flying past our house. I first thought it was a neat coincidence. But as it continued to happen on a regular basis, I would feel as if we were being looked after. There was an energy to these moments that I was connecting to. It was peaceful and positive. It was a counterbalance to the lonely and empty feeling that I was carrying. This gave me comfort and hope that I would at least get through that day…
…I only wish that I had been able to see the look on my face the day that I looked up from my computer to see the cardinal just inches in front of my full-length window storm door. There it was, just looking inside with its head curiously tilting back and forth. Thankfully, I was able to grab my phone and snap a quick photo otherwise nobody would have believed me.”
From Reflections, Chapter 10: Shutdown
“We continued to receive beautiful arrangements and gift boxes of food from various family and friends. The sentiments were heartwarming, for sure. One particular gift box that we received was delivered in a wooden crate wrapped with pink ribbon…
…As I peeled the ribbon off to open up the box, the ribbon had fallen onto the kitchen floor. Not thinking anything of it, I started to unpack the crate, only to have Ava and Jules both say to me, “Dad, look at the ribbon on the floor!” I responded to them, “I know, it dropped. Hold on, I’ll pick it up. Let me first see what we got here.” They snapped back, “no…. look at the ribbon! Look at it on the floor!” I looked down and immediately saw that the ribbon landed on the floor in the shape of a heart. For a split second, time froze as the girls and I just looked at this beautiful heart lying there in the middle of our kitchen floor. Could this really be another sign? To this day, I have no doubt that it was.”
From Reflections, Chapter 10: Shut Down
“Aside from the beautiful floral arrangements that were sent to us, I now also had the flowers that were brought home from the service—an amazing arrangement made up of roses…
…I thought it would be a nice idea to dry out the roses in honor of how Daria most likely would have preserved them. The roses were spaced out evenly on the basement clothesline, fastened to the line with clothespins. I assumed that I had fastened them tight enough, but when I went to check on the flowers the following day, I noticed that one stem had fallen loose and landed on the floor. As I bent over to pick it up, it struck me that the flower that had landed on the floor took the shape of what appeared to be a heart. At first, I didn’t think much of it, but as I began to pick up the flower, this feeling of peace and calm washed over my body. It felt to me as if Daria were sending another sign that she was okay, just like the sign that she had appeared to send through the cardinal on the day of her services…
…As you can imagine, the tears started flowing quickly and heavily. But at the same time that this feeling of sadness settled in, it was balanced by total peace. All I could do at the moment was just close my eyes and embrace this feeling. I felt at that moment that I wasn’t alone. Once I composed myself, I picked up the flower, reattached the stem to the clothesline, and headed back upstairs to be with my girls.”
Beautiful. So heartwarming to read. Daria is with you. These signs she leaves for you are so special.