On The Wings of a Cardinal

A Hobby Lobby TV commercial caught my attention as I walked through the room. The 60 second storyline delivered the memorable moment. The moment was the tag line at the end....Love is never finished. (Hobby Lobby 5/7/2024). Love is never finished.

It has been a year since my mom's death and funeral. During the past year, I've finished writing a book, Grief: The Uninvited Guest. I lived my grief as I asked my readers to live their grief; not shying away but acknowledging it's existence and embracing all that it is. As I wrote my book, I read a book by Cynthia Wayne Brandt titled Song of the Cardinal (Starfish Publishing 2024).This book is a memoir written after her husband's sudden death and she uses the cardinal as a symbol of hope and guidance.

I have heard other people tell of cardinal visits after experiencing the death of loved ones. So, I did a little research. According to the Farmer's Almanac, the folklore of the cardinal has been passed down through generations. Legend has it that seeing a cardinal is a spiritual sign from a loved one who has died, a sort of divine messenger, a sign of reassurance. These vibrant red birds with the bright yellow/orange beaks are a symbol of hope, comfort, and enduring love. They are a connection to our dearly departed.

All of this was playing out in my mind during my morning walk. As the sun filtered through the canopy of trees, my thoughts were filtered through my grief. The melancholy was setting in and I welcomed it. Just when I felt the heaviness drape over me; I heard the chirp of a cardinal. I scanned the tree and found the bright red bird, high up in the tree ahead of me. As I neared the tree, the cardinal sang and skirted to a lower branch. The bird flitted about from limb to limb, twig to twig, then winged to the next tree.

Was this cardinal a spiritual sign from my mom? Did she have a divine message for me? I can't explain it, but in that moment, when my mom's passing was heavy on my heart, I felt reassured that she was only a thought away. Her legacy would continue on. My heart swelled with love. I knew that Hobby Lobby said it best..."Love is never finished". Love continues in a new fresh way. And maybe just maybe it is delivered on the wings of a cardinal.