Signs of Life are Everywhere

Eleven months ago today my mother died in my presence. I felt her spirit leave her body. Her eyes stayed closed. She was at peace.

When I visited her graveside on her birthday, after my return from England, I felt at peace seeing the plaque completed with her year of death in addition to my father's.

Perhaps my sense of inner contentment relates to the knowledge deep within my soul that my parents are reunited and live in a spiritual dimension now.

When in England I observed many signs of life everywhere; of my Mom and my Dad.

I've already written about the Seven Sisters, and climbing them one month ago today, acknowledging one of my mother's seven sisters as I reached the crest of each of the seven cliffs.

On the 16th of May, the day after the ten month anniversary of my mother's death, I was on a hike which encompassed twelve miles of the 1066 Country Walk, retracing William the Conqueror's footsteps beginning at Pevensey Castle during the Norman invasion.

Pevensey Castle, 1066 Country

I have previously written about my father's ties to the Normans and Dover.

On the 1066 walk, in the long grass to my left, I noticed two pairs of ears topping the blades of green.

I exclaimed 'these must be rabbits', and one of the English hikers remarked that it must be 'hares', and that he had never seen one on this particular walk before.

In fact he acknowledged that he had not ever seen two hares at one time on any hike!!

I readied my camera and gingerly approached the direction of the pointed ears, when suddenly the pair bounded in sync before me so quickly that I had no time to react.

I stood and watched in amazement and awe as these magnificent creatures ran together in unison in a wide circle around us all and made their exit into places inaccessible by us, mere human mortals.

I have never seen a 'hare' before. Jack rabbits, rabbits and tiny bunnies, yes, but never a 'hare' and now I have seen a pair of them.

I felt their presence then.

The next day in Brighton, as my hiking group sat in a restaurant on the pier, I received a text message from my eldest daughter telling me about the dream from which she had just awakened.

My mother had visited her in the form of one of her seven sisters, and gave her a most wonderfully warm, solid, strong hug as she told her she wanted to get her 'hair' done.

I replied to my daughter recounting my experience with the pair of 'hares' on my 1066 hike the day before, and that I had climbed the Seven Sisters the day before that.

Yes, signs of life are everywhere . . .

The White Cliffs of Dover

As I mentioned in my last post, today is the two week mark of my return from England.

My thoughts are with my Dad and the day I spent in Dover.

Thanks to my friend who drove to Eastbourne in the morning to get me, and then to Dover, Deal, and delivered me back again that same night, I was able to enjoy the experience of being in the place where my paternal ancestry lived.

However, I know I need to follow what my father's advice would be regarding my 'platonic' friendship with this man.

As much as I like his company, I feel no 'chemistry' as he does, and to be fair, I can no longer enjoy the friendship as I once did when I was 'unaware' of his attraction to me.

Another loss, yet I believe it is a necessary one for both of us. I thank my friend for what he has brought to my life, and I wish him well in his life and love.

That day in England, I walked the Dover pier where my first 'sign' that my father was with me appeared before my feet.

The 'ladybug' has a special significance for my daughters and me regarding my Dad. It not only brings 'luck', but also carries a message of his 'presence'.

The ferries frequenting Calais, Boulogne and other French and British ports of call were captured by my lens as I stood on the pier.

The morning fog lifted by early afternoon, enabling me to see the country 22 miles from where I stood at the Dover cliffs.

France is home to the Normans, of whom my father and I in turn descend, who invaded England, changing the course of history, including my own.

I have not stood on that French ground yet; however, now I have seen it.

I acquired a piece of 'chalk' from the cliffs, as well as a perfect lone 'snail' shell which appeared intact at my feet while I stood there.

Snail shells are mostly made from calcium carbonate, the same as the 'chalk' which form the white cliffs of Dover.

Thank you . . .

It was meant to be . . .

Two weeks ago tomorrow I will have returned from England.

Even though I had never included the UK on my list of 'must' places to see, to me this trip was obviously 'meant to be'.

I have been open to receiving 'messages' from dreams and observing 'signs' from loved ones who have died, since 1994, prior to and after my Dad's death.

I have referred to one of these in a past post, and will write about others in the future.

For now, I will say that the following facts all point me to the conclusion that I was indeed called intuitively to experience parts of Great Britain.

My Mom's resemblance to Queen Elizabeth II has been commented on by people ever since I can recall. She did take an interest in the royal family.

My mother had the privilege of meeting the queen and shaking her hand at a government function in Canada.

She had never travelled overseas nor to England, even though her parental heritage originated in Europe from various parts of the Ukraine and Austria.

My Dad's paternal heritage, as I have mentioned in a past post on my website, www.judypriceiswriting.com , had ties to Dover, from where his ancestors emigrated to Wolfe Island in Ontario.

Ireland entered into the equation when my father's paternal grandfather married an Irish bride.

My father's maternal heritage was British.

When my parents made the decision to marry, each of them was from a different religious affiliation, although both Christian.

My Dad was 'United' and my Mom 'Ukrainian Catholic'.

They decided to compromise regarding religion, and raise their children as 'Anglicans'. In order to do so, they both became confirmed in the Anglican church.

It now makes perfect sense to me that I was beckoned to England, where I witnessed 'signs' of my parents presence, now that they are both no longer living in this realm.

I do believe that we are all 'spiritual beings' on a human journey, and that when we die, with God's blessing, our spirits are free to roam, explore, and experience what is invisible and unknown to us while in our earthly bodies.

More about these 'signs' in a future post . . .

Mom's Birthday

June 1st is your birthday Mom, only you are no longer here to celebrate it with us.

Last year, you and all four of your children enjoyed a birthday lunch together at one of your favourites, Red Lobster.

This year I placed a red rose for you and a purplish blue iris for Dad in the vase at your graveside. You are truly with each other once again.

The beautiful bronze plaque you chose is now complete. Dad's side engraved with RCAF wings and yours with a rose . . .