OCTOBER – NOVEMBER 2023
On Saturday, October 14, 2023, the world experienced the “Ring of Fire” annular solar eclipse similar to the one I experienced in 2012 at Hopi. I wanted to plan my return to North Carolina to be at Hopi for this eclipse but decided against it.
Not long after the eclipse, I told my niece I wanted us to visit my sister’s home. We both agreed that we would try to go the following month. We both felt it was time for us to visit because neither of us had been there since she passed away in 2020.
To make a long, complicated story short, we finally made arrangements with my sister’s daughter to visit the weekend of November 11-12, 2023. Strangely enough, the arrangements were finalized during the partial lunar eclipse on October 28–29, 2023. My oldest brother contacted me around the same time and asked me to contact my youngest brother. It had been over five years since I last spoke to him, so a phone call was overdue. I reached out the very next day.
In my text message, I informed him that our niece and I were coming to Burlington in a couple of weeks and wanted to meet up with him for lunch on November 12. He instantly replied, “Sounds good.” I didn’t call him because I wanted to reconnect with him in person before talking on the phone.
The next two weeks went by very slowly. A few days before November 11, I contacted my sister’s daughter and youngest brother and was relieved to discover everything was still on go.
My niece and I left Wilmington, NC, on November 11, 2023, and drove three hours to my hometown. We arrived at my sister’s house late that afternoon and sat down with my brother-in-law for a visit that was also long overdue. Not many people from our family had visited him since my sister’s passing. About 30 minutes into our visit, I excused myself and stepped into the front room to sit in the chair beside my sister’s ashes.
I sat quietly with my thoughts until it became completely dark outside. I listened closely to any impressions and received, “Well, you’re three years late, but better late than never!” This sounded exactly like something my sister would have said.
As I continued to sit quietly in the dark, I overheard my brother-in-law ask where I was. That’s when I got up and returned to the den to rejoin the family. We drove into town a few minutes later to have dinner. After dinner, we returned to my sister’s home for more conversation, and then my niece and I popped down to my sister’s daughter’s house and went to bed around 10:30.
While getting ready for bed, I retrieved a deck of Oracle cards from my overnight bag. The cards were titled Talking to Heaven by Doreen Virtue and James Van Praagh. I wasn’t sure why I brought them with me. I had used this deck many times with different clients and was told that the messages from the cards were spot on 99% of the time. I had never used the cards, but something told me to try them.
After laying all the cards face down on the bed, I took a moment to meditate. Then, I carefully chose three cards and placed them to the side.
The first card I turned over read, “We will be together again!” This resonated with me because I always told my sister that I knew without a shadow of a doubt that we would see our deceased loved ones again someday.
I turned over the second card, which read, “I am learning over here.” I was told this by several friends who were mediums. Each one said that my sister was healing, learning, and growing on the other side and now saw things differently. I knew this to be true because I had also experienced a tremendous amount of healing since her passing.
I turned over the third card, revealing, “I am standing right next to you.” This card confirmed what I had felt earlier when I heard, “Well, you’re three years late, but better late than never!” As I read the card, I gently said, “I love you, Sis!”
Deep down, I knew why circumstances had prevented us from being together during her passing; it was something she was meant to experience with other family members. My presence would have added a level of drama that the family didn’t need at the time. I felt everything had happened in divine order, as it was supposed to.
I crawled into bed and thanked God for the opportunity to reconnect with my family. As I fell asleep, I wondered what the next day would bring.
After sleeping for a few hours, then waking up in the middle of the night, and then eventually falling back to sleep, I finally got up around 9:00 AM on the morning of 11/12/23, the third anniversary of my sister’s passing.
I retrieved a protein bar from my bag and went downstairs to visit with both of my nieces and my niece’s husband. It was during this time that my sister’s daughter reminded me of something I had told my sister a week or so before she died. I told her that dying was like walking from one room to the next, and she would know she was close when our mother or father appeared. My niece told me my sister couldn’t open her eyes but called out our mother’s name as if she were in the room with her. This happened the day before she passed. This comforted me a great deal.
My niece’s husband and I drove to take our uncle for breakfast. As we returned, we noticed my youngest brother’s car parked at my sister’s house. Although he was supposed to meet us at the restaurant, he came to my sister’s house a few minutes early instead.
My niece from Wilmington and I immediately drove to my sister’s house. I walked in the backdoor, walked straight over to my brother, grabbed him, and started crying. I was so choked up I couldn’t speak. I just held him for what felt like an eternity. I felt like I had been holding my breath for a long time and could finally exhale. I was so thankful that we both had survived the COVID pandemic, the challenges surrounding my DNA results, our sister’s passing, and everything else that had happened since the last time we saw each other back in December 2015. The relief was so intense I couldn’t hold back my tears any longer.
We sat down, visited briefly, and then drove to the restaurant. More family members began arriving. After everyone arrived, we spent the next two hours eating and catching up with one another. We had an excellent time. I felt like the reunion was the perfect way to honor my sister. Secretly, I knew she was there with us (as well as other loved ones who had passed) but didn’t mention anything about the cards from the night before.
As we all left the restaurant, we gathered at the outside entrance for an impromptu photograph. I hopped in another nephew’s car and rode with him to pick up a large-screen television he wanted to give me. He also gave my brother a bicycle for my brother’s grandson.
Afterward, we all met at my sister’s house. My brother turned to me and said he was finally glad to have his brother back. He told me he loved me and asked if everything was good. I quickly replied, “Hell yes!” and choked up again. There was so much I wanted to say to him, but it wasn’t the right place and time. Before leaving, I ran inside the house to place a small flower on my sister’s memorial and quickly rejoined everyone outside.
We all said “love you” to one another as everyone got in their cars and drove off. Everyone on this side and the other experienced a major healing. A heavy weight had been lifted. I could feel it.
My niece and I expressed our happiness during our drive back to Wilmington. Our hearts were full as we drove down the Interstate toward the coast. We both felt as though everything had gone perfectly. I was so grateful to my niece and brother-in-law for hosting us and providing a space for healing. I remembered my days in California when I thought I’d never see my family again.
Life is a mystery!