PENNIES ARE FROM HEAVEN!
The idea for my first Blog post quite literally fell at my feet. I remember the day clearly in the Fall of 2023. My father had passed away I mere 1 year prior. My husband, son and I were arriving to St. Bonaventure University for a campus tour, as this school was on Ben's 'short list'. As I stepped a foot or two away from the car, the brightest, shiniest penny caught my eye. I will insert here that I do believe in an after life and a also believe those who before serve as guiding 'angles in training'. I immediately knew this sign was from father - this would be the place where were would grown and flourish in the years to come.
My family already had a loose connection to St. Bonaventure. I earned my undergraduate degree from Niagara University while my brother exceled at Canisius College. Even after I graduated, my father and I attended several basketball games where he spoke and shared memories of the historical "Little Three" (Canisius, Niagara and St. Bonaventure) from years passed. I knew that penny was from him, letting us know he was there and in same way confirmed "Yes, Ben will do great things here! We had the 3rd edge triangle now with all of the "Little Three" represented. Though I heard and felt that message to my core, I didn't allow that to influence Ben. St. Bonaventure was the school he chose (and I will also add, has excelled there in all ways possible). I kept that penny as a reminder. The transition between high school and college is huge, but he is where he belongs.
Pennies popped up again a few weeks ago. These pennies however were not shiny and bright. My mom has been experiencing some health issues and I have been taking her to several appointments for testing and consultation. On this bleak overcast day, I was helping my mom out of the car when she saw an old, dull brown penny on the ground. She immediately summoned the name of my father and as I picked it, she said "Yep Linda, PaPa is with us!". I didn't think much of it at the time but did pick it up and put it in my pocket. Ironically, on our way back to our vehicle, in the nearly the same location, she spots a second weathered and tarnished penny and reverberated our belief, "Yep, PaPa stayed with us the whole time!".
It has only been in the days and weeks to follow that I have wrestled with the images of those 3 pennies! Do they mean something on a deeper level? I could not move past the stark comparison between the symbolism of those two separate events. A light bulb did go off in my head and it all clicked together in an instant. Just as I know God to be us in good times and bad, my father showed me how he would be there too. That bright, shiny penny embodied a time time of new, exciting adventures for his only grandson, Ben. He wanted me to know he was there cheering him on!!! Those dull, weathered pennies told me of his presence in difficult times as my brother and I navigate the challenges of caring for an aging mother. Difficult moments and decision will likely follow.
Most importantly, he told me "Linda, I am here with you". And as I am recently prone to taking leisurely strolls to just clear my head, I do look for pennies knowing that he is with me always and we are never alone.
QUESTIONS:
Do you feel a connection to anyone in the after life?
Have you ever felt that connection or experienced a sign from someone who has passed?
What value does those experiences play in your grief journey?