Thank you to readers Alison and Cristi for sharing their personal stories. I’ve edited only for clarity to preserve their voice.
Cristi and feathers
Not long after my aunt’s passing, I found a feather on my car. I’d gone to get my nails done after her funeral and it was there when I came out. But, the most significant occurrence was the next weekend. Two weeks after her death, I was out of town, sitting outside my hotel room. I found a feather at my feet. I asked my friend if he knew what that meant. He said, “Yes, a bird was here.” I replied, “No. My Aunt was here.”
She’s also been coming to me in my dreams lately. She is happy, smiling and beautiful in every one of them. This gives me peace.
Barred Owl, Florida
Alison, feathers and pennies
My mom, Helen, and I always delighted in the “Find a penny, pick it up; pass it on you’ll have good luck” game. While we lived together, we’d bring home pennies to share.
After she died, I kept finding pennies in unlikely places:
- I saw them along my new walking route.
- At the dermatologist’s office when I had a biopsy, I spied a penny on the counter. It was odd in that usually only credit card or insurance transactions happen there.
- I found four on top of my mail box when I had to send some important documents.
My dad sends me feathers. He loved birds and fed them routinely. I do as well, so I don’t count those that fall in my yard. But I find them in unlikely places—like on the floor of the college building where I teach. Once I even found a single orange boa feather there. One dropped onto my car windshield.
Each time this happens, it reminds me of a different memory and a renewed reminder of my parents.