“Looking for Mercy” is a song by Madonna from the deluxe edition of her fourteenth studio album Madame X, released on June 14, 2019. “Is it really faith if I’m wake? Can you tell the truth when you live lies? I’m just looking for the signs Hold my hand, please, sympathize”
Not long after the Ring of Fire solar eclipse, I told my niece that I wanted the two of us to take a trip to my sister’s home. We both agreed that we would try to go the following month. We both felt like it was time for us to visit due to the fact that neither one 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 reached out to me around the same time and asked me to contact my youngest brother. It had been more than 5 years since I last spoke to him so a phone call was way 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.” The reason I didn’t call him was due to the fact that I wanted to reconnect with him in person before talking on the phone.
The next two weeks went by very slowly. I reached out to my sister’s daughter and my youngest brother a few days before November 11 and was relieved to discover that everything was still on go.
My niece and I departed Wilmington, NC on the morning of November 11, 2023, and drove 3 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. Apparently, not very 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 next to 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 and 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 I was 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 brought them with me just in case someone wanted to “pull some cards.”
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 for myself but something told me to give them a try.
After laying all of the cards face down on the bed I took a moment to meditate and then carefully chose 3 cards and placed them to the side.
The first card that I turned over read, “We will be together again!” This resonated 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 and it read, “I am learning over here.” I was told this by several friends who were mediums. Each one of them said that my sister was healing, learning, and growing on the other side and now saw things from a completely different perspective. I knew this to be true because I had experienced a tremendous amount of healing since her passing, too.
I turned over the third card which revealed, “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 out loud, “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 as though everything had happened in divine order, the way it was supposed to.
I crawled into bed and gave thanks 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 three-year 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 that my sister wasn’t able to open her eyes but called out our mother’s name the day before she passed. This comforted me a great deal.
My niece’s husband and I drove to take our uncle some breakfast and as we returned noticed that my youngest brother’s car was parked at my sister’s house. Although he was supposed to meet us at the restaurant he decided to come out 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 very long time and was finally able to 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 and visited for a bit 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 a really nice 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 loved the way the light shined on my brother and me. I felt like this was another affirmation.
The stern look on my face (I’m not a fan of having my photograph taken) and the intense lighting did not capture the fact that I was rejoicing on the inside. I had been waiting a very long time for this day and was relieved that it had finally arrived.
As we left the restaurant I hopped in my nephew’s car and rode with him to pick up a large-screen television that he graciously gifted me. He also gave my brother a bicycle for my brother’s grandson.
Afterward, we all met up at my sister’s house. My brother turned to me and said he was glad to finally have his brother back. He told me he loved me, and asked me if everything was good between us. I quickly replied, “Hell yes!” and got 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. I left feeling as though everyone on this side and the other side had experienced a major healing. A heavy weight had been lifted.
My niece and I expressed how happy we were 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 to allow the healing to take place.
Once I got home I thought about the fact that I had been going with the flow of the Universe for the last six months and receiving one blessing after another. All I did was allow, follow through, move forward without fear, and greet every moment, and every situation with love.
With only three more months remaining until the end of 21 Days Later – Year 13 – A New Vision, I couldn’t help but wonder if the Universe had something more in store for me or if this family reunion was the end.
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