Powerful Signs and Messages From My Mom After Her Death

Lauren Barrett

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I’ve been hesitant to write this as I didn’t want to come across as looney or a fraud, but I had a dream once that told me to share what I have experienced (I’m not sure if that helps or hurts my case). 

Nevertheless, reading about other people’s signs and messages from their loved ones has helped and comforted me, so I hope to do the same for you here. I had never truly imagined Heaven and all its glory until my mom died. Now, it’s a place that I am excited to go to one day, and I hope other people can one day feel just as overjoyed to make it there one day. 

Since my mom died in August I have received some powerful signs and messages from her that leave me no doubt about where she is. These encounters with her have comforted me, relieved me of any guilt or regret, and brought me much peace. 

I hope they do for you as well. 

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FEELINGS

I’ll start first with feelings. I have always felt certain strong intuitions which now I know are coming from the guardian angels called to guide us. We all have these feelings. They are there. Although we have free will, our guardian angels are urging us to do choose the right thing. You just have to stop to listen. 

There are too many feelings to write about, but I’ll start with the four strongest feelings I had the week before her death. 

Two I ignored. Two I didn’t. I have since forgiven myself for the ones I ignored although it was a very long and painful process. 

The two I ignored came at the beach. My mom, dad, husband, son, and I took a trip to the beach a week before she died. Little did I know that it would be the last time the five of us would be together and the last time my mom and I would spend the night under one roof. 

We spent two nights at the beach. The first night my mom, dad, and I arrived back to our Airbnb after a concert. My husband and son had stayed behind. After I said goodnight to my son, I paused outside my mom’s closed door to her bedroom, and I had a feeling to go in. The first feeling. Being tired, I ignored it. 

Anytime I stayed the night with my mom, it was customary for me to get into bed with her after tucking in my son. She (obsessively) loved to stare at the baby monitor to make sure my son fell asleep even when he was still four years old. I would lie next to her and we would talk or scratch each other’s back until he fell asleep, and I knew she wasn’t anxious anymore.

But that first night I didn’t go in. 

The second night it took a while for my son to get settled into bed. By the time I got him down, her door was closed. This time the feeling was even stronger. It shouted at me to go in and curl up next to her. I must have hesitated outside of her door for almost a minute. 

I won’t get into the exact reason why I ultimately chose not to go in, but I didn’t. I’ll never get to lie next to my mom in bed again. Although I have forgiven myself, the thought of this still brings me to tears. 

The second feeling came during our last day at the beach. It was a Sunday, and we had taken a ferry boat to an island to look for sand dollars. It was a hot day and after the ferry dropped us off, we were exhausted, sweaty, and ready to get into the car to cool off. My parents were driving back in one car, and my husband, son, and I were in another one. We packed our cars and got my son all strapped in his car seat. 

As we were getting ready to pull out, I realized that my son hadn’t officially said goodbye to my mom. I had a strong feeling that I should somehow orchestrate this goodbye, but I ultimately shrugged it off because it was hot, and I didn’t want to unbuckle him only to buckle him back in. And besides, I reasoned, we would probably see each other again soon enough. After all, we lived in the same city pretty much. My son never saw my mom again. That was it. I had missed their chance to say goodbye. This will always break my heart. 

The third and fourth feelings came three days later when we planned to go to trivia. My mom, dad, husband, and I planned to play one more game of trivia before the summer ended. The day of trivia I was sick. I practically laid on the ground moaning in pain the whole day. I picked up the phone several times to cancel, but something always stopped me. I had every legitimate reason to cancel except a very strong feeling urging me to go. 

Miraculously, I ended up going and felt better on top of it. That was the last chance I ever had to see my mom conscious. I’m very thankful for my guardian angels that day. If I had canceled that day, I would have beat myself up relentlessly. 

The last feeling came in the parking lot as we were saying goodbye. The feeling was to hug her and tell her that I loved her. I did. The last time we ever talked. In a parking lot. I’ll never forget it. I’ll always long for that moment back. I’ll always yearn that it was longer or more drawn out or that I told her everything I ever wanted to communicate to her and thanked her for being my mom. 

But, it was impossible for me to have known that that moment would be our last, and I’ll always be thankful that our last moment was a hug, and I an I love you.

I implore you to listen to those feelings. They are there. God wants what’s best for us. However, please forgive yourself if you have ignored them. The guilt and regret don’t help. He and your loved one would want you to forgive yourself. 

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​MY SON’S CLAIRVOYANCE ​

I’m not saying my son, Henry, is a clairvoyant, but there are a few things that have happened that have given us pause. 

A month before my mom died, Henry became interested in death seemingly out of nowhere. I even have the text message exchange between my mom, dad, brother, and me about it.

He asked tons of questions about death, dying, Heaven, and more. We had never needed to talk to him about death, but with all the questions we were able to sit down and have a conversation about it with him. 

I forgot about his curiosity about death until a few months ago. I often wonder why he suddenly became so interested in death. Was it in a way helping him to prepare for my mom’s death? 

Then, a week before she died, we were at the beach. Out of nowhere, he said to my mom, “Grandma, are you in pain?” He kept asking her that the whole day. We were perplexed about why he kept asking and even laughed about it. She kept reassuring him that no, she wasn’t in pain. 

Again, this incident slipped from my mind until after the funeral when I overheard Henry repeating that same phrase, “Grandma, are you in pain?” to no one. It brought me back to the beach and still to this day I believe that my mom was comforting him that she would be okay and in a good place. 

Since we told him that Grandma got really sick and her body, I’m sure it was natural for him to wonder if she was in pain, and it gives me great comfort that she dispelled any fears at the beach that day that she wouldn’t be in pain. 

The third incident came a few days after the funeral. We were still in West Virginia. Henry was sleeping, and I was in my own bedroom having a hard time. As tears streamed down my face, I looked up to Heaven and prayed, “Please God, Mom, send me some comfort.” Seconds later, I heard a noise. Henry came out of his bedroom and into mine. Without a word, he opened up his arms and hugged me. I was floored. 

That wasn’t the last time that, Henry appeared just when I needed some comfort. I honestly believe my mom sends him to remind me that I have this precious, little boy who brings me so much joy.

I’ll just mention one more incident. Another time I was again having a hard time. This time I was driving home, and I called out to God in the car through tears, “Please help me. Please send me some peace.” 

I got home in time to put Henry to bed. We usually read a book first. As I was waiting for him to pick one, I heard him mumbling to himself, “Where is it? Oh! There it is.” He brought over a book to me, and I was shocked. It was the book I Love You Forever. This book was a favorite between my mom and me. She read it to me numerous times when I was a child. Instantly, I was filled with peace and knew she was right there with me. 

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MOTHER FIGURES ​

A former coworker of mine told me that there is an Irish Catholic saying that goes something along the lines of God sending people to you after your mom dies who are there to help you. She said to let them in. 

Ironically, I believe she was one of them. I was sitting at All Saints mass by myself yearning to have my mom beside me. I said a silent prayer, and then I had a feeling that someone would walk in.

Sure enough, someone did. It was this coworker who always reminded me of my mom in a way. She saw me, gave me a big hug, and sat next to me for the rest of the mass. She told me the saying which brought me once again great comfort. 

However, the very first time this happened was a couple of days after my mom’s death. I went to the mall to shop for an outfit for the funeral. By myself. Shopping was my mom’s thing. She loved shopping for me, so this was hard. 

I knew I wanted an outfit from the Loft, one of her favorite stores. Thanks to my cousin who found an outfit online and told me exactly what to look for. I went into the store and was greeted by an older lady employee. She showed me exactly where the dress was and then went out of her way to stay by my side as I tried it on and modeled it for her. 

At this point, she doesn’t know that my mom died. Finally, she asked the question, “Where will you be wearing the dress?” I broke down and started crying as I told her it was for my mom’s funeral. The empathy pouring from this lady was evident and great. She said, “Oh dear and you’re so young too to lose a mom. I lost my mom when I was young too.” She embraced me and then stayed by my side until I was all checked out. She squeezed me tight one more time before I left. She acted a lot like my mom which had me chuckling to myself. Once again, I truly believe my mom and God made sure this lady’s and my paths crossed. 

Of course, I have my aunts and my mom’s friends, but they don’t live close to me. I’m grateful for the older women who have shown up when I just felt like I needed a mother figure. None of them will ever replace my mom, but as the saying goes I need to let them in because they are sent to me by God.  

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ANSWERED PRAYERS

Along similar lines, there have been many times when people have called or texted just when I felt like I needed someone to talk to. I keep a journal and there have been more than one occasion where I have written in it, “Mom, please send someone to call or text me. Someone who will say something about you or let me cry to them or say something of great comfort.”

Sure enough, I’ll get a phone call or a text that same day. 

I read in a book about near death experiences that several people have stated that part of their experience was witnessing all the prayers shoot up into Heaven. That’s what I imagine happens when I physically cry out to God to comfort me. 

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PENNIES, RAINBOWS, AND BUTTERFLIES

I believe all three of these things are signs from my mom and Heaven. 

Since my mom’s death, I have had yellow butterflies appear around me. I have seen rainbows when I wanted to know that she was near. And I have found pennies when I have been anxious or worried about something and need an answer to something. She knew pennies were a sign from God for me before she died.

One particular example is this: One of the things I miss most about my mom is her laughter over my dad’s, brother’s, and my sense of humor. We all found similar things funny. Some might say we have a twisted, dark sense of humor. 

For Christmas, I designed and made a shirt for my brother that reads I Love My Dead Mom. I was 100% sure my dad and brother would find it funny and knew it would bring some levity and laughter to a terrible situation. I was right. I also knew my mom would find it funny. I could picture her laughing hysterically and missed that terribly. I prayed, “Mom, did you find that funny? Please send me a sign.” I asked for a penny. 

Well….

Later that day, I walked into a room and there were literally hundreds and hundreds of pennies. I had my answer. 

I know some people might be skeptical of signs. That’s okay. It’s hard to accept when it hasn’t happened to you. But I believe and I’m comforted by these signs. They are all I have left for communication with my mom. 

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DREAMS AND VISITATIONS

These messages are my favorite and the most powerful for me. 

Since her death, I have dreamt about my mom a lot. I love these dreams. It feels like we are hanging out. 

However, I have had from what I recall three visitation dreams. These are different than regular dreams. They start as a regular dream but then shift into something more real and vivid. After discussing this with a few people (including people of the Catholic faith), I have been affirmed that I am really interacting with my mom. There are several examples in the Bible of angels and people appearing in a dream. So, why wouldn’t God send our loved ones to us in dreams? 

In my first visitation dream, my mom and I hugged. It was extremely vivid, and I still can picture it. 

The second visitation dream was even more powerful. I was having a hard night. All I wanted to do was text or call my mom, so I did. I sent her a text just saying that I missed texting her and that I loved and missed her. I sighed and put the phone down, knowing that I would never get an answer from her again. I once again prayed and called out this time to the Holy Spirit. “Please bring me comfort.” 

I went to bed. I started dreaming and then sometime in the middle of the night, my dream shifted. There was my mom right before me with a glow to her. She hugged me. Then, a very powerful wind-like sensation enveloped me and embraced me. I seemed to be carried through space in a very intense and peaceful way. The dream then continued on informing me to tell people what happened. 

I woke up with two thoughts: 1.) That was the Holy Spirit and 2.) My mom answered my text. 

The last visitation dream was somehow even more powerful. How my mom died has haunted us. It’s something that played over and over again in my head. One of the things I felt deep shame about was that I didn’t hold her hand or even look at her when she died. I just couldn’t accept what was happening. I had regretted this every day since her death. 

The visitation dream happened in mid-December. I had been praying for forgiveness, mainly for me to forgive myself. The dream started with my mom and I shopping together. We went to the makeup store. I explained to the makeup artist how I had taken all of my mom’s makeup from her house because I couldn’t bear to throw it away. 

This is where the dream shifted. 

I remember looking at my mom’s face. She had a deep sadness for me and this broke her heart to see me in so much pain. I then looked deeply at her and asked if she would continue to visit me in my dreams throughout my whole life. She looked back at me with the same matched intensity and grabbed my hand and we just stayed like that for a bit hand in hand. I can still feel her hand on mine. 

I was forgiven. I woke up with no more panic or regret or shame or guilt surrounding her death. That dream solidified the love that we had and will always have for each other. 

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I hope this account has brought you some peace and comfort of the afterlife. I hope death doesn’t seem so scary for you anymore knowing that one day we will be reunited with our loved ones. I hope you know that we can still communicate with our loved ones even in death. 

And if nothing else, I now have a written record of the signs from my mom when I needed them the most. I pray she will always continue to show up in these ways. 

Asking grieving people how their loved ones have shown up in their lives is a great way to keep the conversation about the deceased still alive. 

“Have you had any signs lately from your loved one?” 

“How has your loved one continued to show up?” 

“What do you imagine (loved one’s name) would have done or said if they were here today?” 

Thank you for taking the time to read this. It’s been a labor of love to write all of this down. I never want to forget the power of God in my time of need.

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L​auren Barrett is a multi-passionate mom working to help all people become their best selves and build positive relationships with the people around them. She has a degree in deaf education and a Master’s in Reading Education. She is a high school teacher of the Deaf and hard-of-hearing, a former cross country coach, a writer/author, and a full time mom to an amazing 4-year old. Lauren is a 3x author, including children’s book, Henry’s Hiccups, and parenting guide Now What? Mindful Checklists for Life’s Hard Parenting Moments. She is a blogger at Lauren Barrett Writes. Currently, she is grieving her loving mom’s unexpected death and devoting her time to helping people learn about grief, insomnia, and anxiety in honor of her mom. She loves her faith, running, visiting MLB stadiums with her husband, chocolate, scrapbooking, pretending she would actually do well on the Amazing Race, re-watching The Office, listening to Bobby Bones, and helping out all moms. She lives in North Carolina with her husband, James, and son, Henry. Follow her on her blog and get her free kind for sleep and anxiety, Stress Free Sleep.