A Hawk and a Halloween Miracle
As I mentioned in last week’s message, I meant to share my Halloween miracle story right after Halloween, but I ran out of time with all the preparations before my niece’s wedding. So, I’m sharing it this week to remind you that your loved ones are always with you, “even when they’re not.” That will make more sense by the time you finish reading this story.
One of the first things I did on Halloween morning was open the blinds to let the light into my apartment. Imagine my surprise when I saw a hawk perched on a fence just 20 feet from my window! What made it extra significant is that I was just talking about this hawk the previous night with a friend at dinner. He was telling me about a hawk that he regularly sees flying in his neighborhood. I shared that I often hear a hawk in the morning when I’m walking to my car, but had yet to see her. Well, there she was in all her magnificence the very next morning. It was magical!
Some of you may know that in Native American teachings, hawk is considered a messenger from Spirit. I was on the lookout for messages all day, and I received plenty of them! My first Family Constellations session that morning was centered around a mom, so I had a feeling mine would be communicating with me.
Later that day, I received some disappointing news that was difficult to process. I had been thinking a lot about my mom, so I asked her for help in moving forward with this news. She has been pretty good about sending signs since her passing in 2011, usually in the form of bird poop on my car. Lucky me! True to her sense of humor, she told me before she died that’s how she would be communicating. Even though that hawk did not leave me any “gifts,” I still thought it might be a message from her.
Since I wasn’t feeling very social after receiving that news, I decided not to stay home and answer the door for trick-or-treaters on the off chance there would be some this year. No. That night, I just wanted to get lost in someone else’s story, so I opened the app of my favorite movie theater to see if The Wild Robot was still playing. I’d heard good things about this animated film where a robot crash lands on an island of animals and inadvertently takes on the mother role for a newly hatched gosling.
I was in luck! Not only was it still playing, but I was thrilled to discover I had a free ticket on the app from my birthday. Was this a gift from my mom, and maybe a sign encouraging me to go see the movie that night? I decided it was, so I booked a seat for the 8:15 showing. That gave me plenty of time to finish my work before heading to the cinema.
On the way there, my phone dinged with a text message from one of my sisters. Earlier in the day, I had asked her to send photos of her grandchildren in their costumes before they went trick or treating. When I arrived at the theater, I opened the text message to see my great-niece dressed as Elmo and my great-nephew dressed as a gorilla. It was another sign from my mom!
Longtime readers may recall that my mother, at age 79, dressed up as a gorilla for Halloween the year before she passed away. But not just any gorilla. She wanted to be a female gorilla with earrings, lipstick, a pink tutu, and a red bra. To complete her costume, she wanted a bunch of bananas so she could hand them out to the men in her assisted living facility. A flirt right to the end! (No mystery where I get that from.) She was very clear about what she wanted so we made it happen as you can see in the photo below. She was hilarious as “Bubbles” the gorilla.
It made me smile to see my great-nephew in that gorilla costume. His dad and my mom had a very special connection, so it was sweet to see him carrying on her gorilla legacy without even knowing it! I sent the gorilla photo of my mom to my sister so she could show it to him.
Sitting there in my car staring at the photos, I marveled at the timing of this “coincidental” costume connection. It was so indicative of my mother’s playful spirit. I truly felt her presence with me as I entered the theater and took my seat.
I had no idea how much this story of an unlikely mother and a little goose would touch my heart. I absolutely loved the movie! The illustrative animation style was unlike anything I had ever seen. But the theme of a mother’s love being evident despite the mistakes she made is what really hit home. Especially on a day when I was asking for a sign from my mom. But she wasn’t done yet!
Accompanying the ending credits was a beautiful song titled, “Even When I’m Not” performed by Maren Morris. In the chorus, she sings, “I’ll always love you and I’ll never stop. I’ll always be there, even when I’m not.” Needless to say, I had quite a good cry when I got to my car. And another one when I got home and played the song again on Apple Music. I can’t imagine a more perfect message from my mother than the one contained in the lyrics of that song. (Click here if you would like to watch the video and give it a listen.) I 100% believe she sent that hawk so I wouldn’t miss her messages throughout the day.
You may discount these happenings as mere coincidences, but looking for signs like these has filled my life with an abundance of joy and magic. If you’d like to live a more joyful and magical life, please consider giving yourself the gift of a Private Family Constellations Session or a series of Spiritual Coaching Sessions. Both can open your heart to miracles! Please look around my website for more information or click here to book a session. I look forward to creating joy and magic with you!
Until next time, may you always remember your loved ones are right there with you, even when they’re not.
If you knew Who walks beside you on the way that you have chosen, fear would be impossible.
A Course in Miracles ~ T-18.III.3:2