Family,  Photography,  Weird shit that happens

My mom sends me messages through Cardinal birds

male cardinal in tree

Some people will think this is crazy, just a string of coincidental occurrences that I’ve bent into having larger-than-life significance. Others will understand, probably because something similar has happened to them.

I think seeing a Cardinal bird is a sign from my mom that she is still with me spiritually even though she died in 2006. Not every Cardinal, just the ones that talk to me. KIDDING. I’m not that kind of crazy…yet.

Here’s why I connect Cardinal sightings and my mom:

First of all, my mom was a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan and loved birds, especially hummingbirds and redbirds. FYI: while she was in the hospital trying to overcome pneumonia in both lungs in the fall of 2006, the Cards made a late-season run and then less than a month after she died on Oct. 6, St. Louis won the World Series.

Secondly, since she passed away I’ve had several sightings of redbirds at moments when I needed a connection to my mom. If this happened every other month or if I lived in an area where lots of Cardinals are always flying around, I’d be willing to chalk it up to coincidence. But it happens only a couple times of year and at eerily appropriate times.

I started keeping a journal – sporadically at best – a couple years after my mom died so that I could jot down memories of her as they popped into my head. I was (and still am) worried about forgetting things about her.

The first entry I have about a Cardinal sighting is from late spring 2008:

One morning not long after Mother’s Day – a time of year that makes me miss her more than usual – I was getting ready for work. I’m not a morning person so I am not one to just meander around in the a.m. – I get up in time to hurry to get ready and get where I need to be. So it was unusual that on this day I took the time to pull back the bedroom curtain and actually look out into the yard. On our fence sat a redbird. It stayed for a good 5-7 minutes, flipping its feathers around sorta like it was showing off. I thought to myself: maybe this is my mom saying that she was much happier now that she is without the limitations of living with emphysema.

A couple of months later, I made an entry that while Lee and I were walking our dog and talking about my mom, a Cardinal flew by us. We take a lot of walks and this isn’t a common occurrence.

Here are other entries.

August 2008:

My Aunt Linda, Uncle Skip and my stepdad Charles came to visit me in Wichita the weekend after my birthday. It was the first time my aunt and uncle had visited me in Wichita since helping me move here in December 1994. It was the first trip my stepdad had made without my mom. While they were here, I saw a Cardinal right outside my dining room window.

July 2009:

I was in Kansas City just for a couple of hours today. I was driving by a building that use to be a restaurant where I once ate with my mom and Charles (KC Masterpiece). I got really sad thinking of that memory. Then, I drove around the building to get to a fast food drive-thru and a Cardinal was sitting there while I ordered.

December 2009:

I went all fall wishing I would see a Cardinal but I didn’t. It was Christmas Day at my Uncle Skip’s when I finally did. It was our first Christmas without my Aunt Linda, who had died in October. My Grandma Ann had called to talk to everyone and when I got up to get the phone and take my turn to talk to her, I saw a redbird perched on the fence right outside the dining room. It was there the entire time I was on the phone.

December 2010:

Another redbird sighting at Christmas. I had just told Lee that I had really been hoping to see a Cardinal while we’d been driving through the countryside to see my dad and stepmom. We were back in Columbia and heading over to my stepdad’s house when I said that. Within five minutes and just a block from his house, Lee spotted a Cardinal in a bush on the side of the street.

(I’m pretty sure there was a Cardinal sighting or two in 2011 and 2012 but I didn’t make a journal entry and I can’t remember any at the moment.)

male cardinal redbird in a tree
This is the photo I took of a Cardinal visiting on Lee’s birthday, April 27. Three weeks later I realized there’s a Cardinals nest in our backyard.

April 2013:

When Lee got up on his birthday today (April 27), he went to the kitchen to get breakfast. He saw a Cardinal in the backyard. He came to the bedroom to tell me. When I got up to look out our window, I watched the redbird fly to the tree we had planted just a few years ago in my mom’s memory. The bird stayed there long enough for me to get my camera and get to the kitchen to snap a photo.

OK, I’ve always said that I think the Cardinal sighting thing is cool because “it’s not like we have Cardinals living in our backyard and see them all the time.” Well, for the first time EVER we do have Cardinals living in our backyard!

Lee was laying in the hammock in our backyard this past Saturday, and after I got home from the gym I went out to talk to him. While sitting there, I noticed a female Cardinal, then a male … I sat there long enough to notice that they were pretty interested in the bush growing on our fence. After they had flown away, I went over and peered in to see a nest of babies. This has been a great opportunity to take some beautiful photos of the parents (see images below) and it’s been awesome to get to see Cardinals so much.

So I guess I’m not going to connect having this family nesting in our yard to a sign from my mom, and there are a few other times when I’ll see a redbird but it doesn’t necessarily feel connected. But it’s hard for me to write off the sightings I’ve shared above to coincidence.

If you think I’m crazy, keep it to yourself ;-) If you’ve had something similar happen, please share in the comments!

male Cardinal redbird

 

female Cardinal redbird

male female Cardinal redbird

male female Cardinal redbird

male Cardinal redbird

male Cardinal redbird

female Cardinal redbird

Writer. Photographer. Lover of travel. Believer that all who wander are not lost. #Mizzou grad living in Wichita, Kansas.

68 Comments

    • Melinda

      Thanks, Kate. I didn’t even share the cool Cardinal-related items my thoughtful friends have given me over the past six years! So even when I don’t see a redbird outside, I can find a few inside :)

  • Ellen Horn

    Our daughter Cathe and her husband John were killed in an auto accident on a Sat. afternoon near their home in Texas. We got there on Sun., and that evening Julie spotted a double rainbow in the sky. It was the first she’d ever seen, and she felt sure it was some kind of message from or connection to Cathe and John.

    • Melinda

      Thank you for sharing, Ellen. I also remember seeing your recent Facebook post about hearing from one of Cathe’s coworkers. That made me smile.

    • Carol Ellis

      Hi, Ellen,

      The following Monday morning, a week after my beloved father died in my arms. I was driving to college classes and happened to look to my left into the sun, and behold, there was the most beautiful rainbow around the sun that I had ever seen in my life!!! I pulled off the country road and stopped to look at it closer!! I had this wonderful feeling wash over me that told me my father was fine and was in Heaven with God looking down on me smiling!!! I finally drove away and when I got to class I began to ask what it was I saw, a rainbow around the sun??? I was told it was a, ” Sun Dog “.. After looking them up I found out how rare they are and how lucky I was to see that one. I am now 74 years old and have never seen another one since so it was surely my Father sending me that message!! He died in 1981,,, He was my hero and still is… Thanks for letting me share…

      • cheryl

        Three days ago, my mother in law passed away. At about 2pm, I heard a loud bird on my porch, thinking that my cat had caught another one, I run to the door. When I opened it, there was a beautiful red cardinal, looking at me. It flew over to the bird feeder and landed on it and continued to be loud and then flew away. I came in and told my daughter that it was telling me to feed them. I filled the feeder and went about my day,That night while on fb an old verse that someone sent in oct. when my father died just popped up and left just as fast. It said something like, next time you see a red cardnal, theres a new angel in heaven. I have not found it since but I do know,mom let me know she was ok and looking over me.

  • nikki

    My mom and sister have this thing about my brother leaving them pennies. I don’t really get into that kind of thing, but the other day i saw one outside my office and had a weird urge to pick it up. So i did. Maybe they do send us signs.

  • Cindy

    I cannot tell you how many similarities there are in your story and the story of the death of my Mom & Cardinal experiences. Too many to write…my Mom died October 6, 2005 from Emphysema, a female Cardinal showed up on the bird feeder outside her window the morning she died. She too loved Cardinals. A female cardinal showed up the about at the emergency animal clinic about 2 hours before my dog died. There are numerous other stories & I know some people think I am crazy, but I know it is my Mom reaching out to me. I would love to speak with you and share more of my stories.

    Cindy Burleson

    Cindy Burleson

  • Gina

    I lost my only child to brain cancer at age 15. It has almost been three years now. Before he was ever sick, cardinals were our special sign. If something ever happened to the other, we would send a cardinal as a sign we were safe in heaven and sending our love. I set that sign because I worried something might happen to me during a surgery and I wouldn’t get to say goodbye but we continued it after the surgery. We would buy each other cardinal gifts as a reminder. So when it became obvious my son was leaving me first, we talked a lot about our cardinal sign. Do I believe in cardinals as signs from heaven? Oh yes! It would take too long to rehash them all, but every Mother’s Day I get an “up close” cardinal experience in my yard. At a children’s home fundraiser auction (that was a struggle to attend) I picked at random a balloon with a number and it matched to a prize. I almost dropped it when I pulled it out of the bag, two bottles of privately labeled Cardinal hill winery wines with bright red cardinals on the label. I have had so many experiences that are unexplainable that everyone who knows me believes now that my son is connecting with me. So yes, I do believe you. Our spirits go to heaven when we die, but I believe God allows us to connect with our loved ones on earth as we wait for them to cross over.

    • Melinda

      Wow, Gina, thanks for sharing that story. I’m so sorry you lost your son but very happy to know you still have these connections.

  • Amanda

    I came across this post after googling to see if anyone else felt like their deceased loved one sent them red birds. My mother passed away in 2001 and ever since then, just about anytime life gets really difficult a red bird will cross my path. And since my grandmother (my mother’s mother) was diagnosed with cancer I see these birds even more. The other day I was jogging and crying and just trying to deal with everything and a red bird swooped right out of a tree and darted right in front of me.

    When I was a little girl, any time we would see a red bird my mother would say ” Blow the red bird a kiss and make a wish”. So right after her death somehow these sightings just clicked and felt really comforting. For a long time I didn’t share this with any family members because I thought they might think I was crazy. Then about a year ago I told my grandmother I felt like my mom sent me red birds and my grandmother very matter of factly said, “Oh yes, she sends them to me too.” We compared our red bird sightings and I felt so comforted to know she had felt this same thing. How neat.

    I am so pleased to know some one else gets red birds from their mother, thanks for sharing your story.

    • Melinda

      Hi, Amanda, thanks for commenting and thanks for sharing your story. It’s amazing that your mom actually talked that way about redbirds before she passed — wow, that brought tears to my eyes!
      It took me awhile, too, to share with anyone because it sounded a little crazy. But really, as long as it’s comforting to us it doesn’t matter what it sounds like to others.

  • shelley

    Hi, yes it has happened to me too. Cardinals are a sign, I have had a few times these sightings had happened to me, the most prominent when my Dad died, I prayed and asked for a cardinal sign. None came, but 4 days later when I pulled into the driveway of my Parents house, the first time I had been there since his death, there sat a red female cardinal right in the tree by the driveway when I pulled up. I almost fell out of the car! What timing-no one can tell me that was just fate. I cried my eyes out when I saw that! It was a tree by the back bedroom that my mom used. So, yes I know they are they are in tune somehow with my parents.

  • Kim~madeinaday

    My father passed away last Sunday. I was on my way to see him before he passed and I was praying in the car to three of his already passed family members to help him to pass quickly. He was 85, in horrible heath and scared. Right after I prayed two Cardinals few in front of the can and then I immediately saw one on the side of the road. I actually made a wreath on my blog using red birds and it has been extremely popular in the last two years. http://madeinaday.com/2012/11/16/winter-wispy-wreath/
    I was thinking about the coincidences of that and pondering if there was a meaning in that. My father was put in hospice right after I arrived to see him. The next day a nurse told us a volunteer had given him a quilt to comfort him. I went into the room and the quilt was covered in Cardinals!! After his passing I saw another one fly in front of the car on the way to his funeral. We had a celebration for him that night and there were two Cardinals in a bird feeder outside the window during the party!!! So no I don’t think your crazy!! It was awesome. I searched the internet for more stories and they are endless. Glad I found this post! New follower!
    Kim
    Kim~madeinaday recently posted…Chalkboard Clipboard Banner & Sign at the Michaels Pinterest Party

    • Melinda

      Sorry to hear that you lost your father but glad that you had some spiritual help at at the end of his journey. Thanks for sharing.

    • Cindy Burleson

      Kim, I am sorry for the loss of your father, but glad that the cardinals made the journey better for you. I also was delighted to find this blog as I had a Cardinal experience with my Mom’s passing 7 years ago and have numerous stories about Cardinal’s appearing at meaningful times since then. I always know it is her reaching out to us. God Bless you and your family in this time of loss.

      Cindy

    • Marguerite

      Thank you. I am extremely fortunate to have you in my life. This helped me realize that many of us are struggling with.loss. I know my God WILL get me through the loss.of ten in 2013. But the hardest is my Mother. I wake up and want to call her. I can and WILL get through this.

      • Melinda

        Marguerite — it’s been 7.5 years since my mom passed and I STILL have moments when I think of picking up the phone and calling her. Sometimes I can smile about it, though, instead of being sad.

  • Debbie

    My mother also loved cardinals. We had a saying if you see a cardinal I’m thinking of you. I loved my mom so much. She lived with our family the last year of her life. She had a stroke at the age of 86 on Jan 1, 2013. She went into a nursing home and died on Jan 17, 2013. The day she died, there was a big snow storm. There was a tree outside her window at the nursing home and it was filled with cardinals. They weren’t eating at the feeders but were just sitting there in the tree looking in the window. I know in my heart these were angels coming to welcome her to heaven. The next day after she died they were gone. I’ve had so many experiences since then with cardinals and other things that have given me peace. I know there is more to look forward to after we leave this world. Our loved ones do visit us. We just have to be open to it and believe

    • Melinda

      I agree Debbie — we have to be open to it and believe. And I do understand how it could be difficult for someone to understand if they haven’t experienced it yet.

  • Kim Bear

    I lost my mom in 2003 to cancer. I have always looked for a sign that she was near me. I saw the cardinal experience posted on FB but never paid much attention to it I would just scroll through. One day I read someones post about their experience so I googled it. I half heartedly said to myself well ok mom I expect to see a cardinal tomorrow!! Well I am a hospice nurse and I was at a pts house..In the house I had a really bad phone connection so I had to stand near the window to get a signal. I was on hold with my boss for 5 or 6 minutes looking out the window. While I was standing there looking at the different birds in the trees I said to myself. Wouldn’t it be something if a cardinal appeared!! Sooo no sooner than I said that a beautiful cardinal flew to the tree right in front of the window. I was so shocked I couldn’t hardly talk on the phone. The next thing I knew there were at least 10 cardinals flying around the tree outside. I am truly convinced it was my mom letting me know she is with me always.

  • Sharon

    My mother always loved cardinals. She passed away in 2010. I also lost my brother 24 yrs. ago. April16th is his birthday and he & my mother were on my mind. I was outside & looked up @ the bird feeder & 2 cardinals (a male & female) were sitting there. I knew it had to be a sign from them. At least I know they are together. It really made my day!

  • Susan

    I cannot believe this…..my husband passed away Feb. 6, 2014. Since then I have had numerous Cardinal sightings in my yard, when I get out of the car, singing outside the window in the dark, just before dawn. He knew that I loved Cardinals and I just had a strong feeling that the birds were him telling me that he was OK and that I would be OK. After reading all of these posts, I am convinced that is true. We never had Cardinals in our yard before. Several times lately when I am experiencing one of the painful “firsts”, all of a sudden I hear a Cardinal singing and when I start looking around, it is in a tree close by. He is there. I know it.

    • Melinda

      I’m so sorry for your loss, and I know exactly what you mean when you mention the painful “firsts” you are experiencing. I’m glad that you are feeling a connection with him through the cardinals.

    • Susan

      My husband died February 2 2014 and I have seen so many sightings of cardinals at sad as well as happy times. His mind there loved cardinals and he always pointed them out to me as having his mother visit him because she had passed. 2 weeks before he died we discussed that if either one of us died we would try to show the other with a cardinal. First time I saw was in front of my door when I pulled up after working all nite to see many cardinals in front of my door. :). I have seen so many now whenever I get sad and cry or when our family is celebrating…I love them and hope they continue to comfort me.

      • Joyce

        Susan, I so sincerely appreciated your husband & redbird post. My husband passed away just 3 months & 3 wks. ago Oct. 11th. & I have had this redbird flying into our garage window. Hitting it very hard almost every day, we have always been very spirtual in beleiving in the afterlife, & we have always asked each other, when our time to leave one another comes to please ask God to grant us the grace to try to let the other one know that we are ok & well. So I totaly believe! Thank YOu so much, Joyce!!! Camelot1985@windstream.net

        • Goldie

          I lost my husband last June. For the last few months the same female Cardinal comes to my storm door, she perches on the window edge. Sometimes like looking in, other times bangs into it as if trying to get my attention, and she does. My dog who barks at everything like that just sits and watches. It gives me peace thinking that it’s Smiley coming to visit. I’m hoping it’s a good thing for his visits, and not that he’s here waiting for me to Join him, thank you ladies for sharing your stories.

  • Ashley

    My grandma always used to say that a little birdie told her things. She died in 1994 and ever since then my mom and aunt have been getting “visits” from cardinals when times are rough to show them that everything’s okay. When my aunt had brain surgery a cardinal kept tapping on the window of my mom’s house and that’s how my mom knew her sister would be okay. Last year my grandpa passed away. The day after a cardinal was seen by both my mom and my aunt. I’m glad that they have this sign to make them feel like things will be okay. This month my aunt will be turning 60 and I’m hoping to make her a cardinal cake for her surprise party.

  • Dawn W

    My Mom passed away on April 6, 2014. The woman loved birds, mainly cardinals and hummingbirds. She loved cardinals because she was born and raised in central Illinois and loved the St Louis Cardinals. As for the hummingbirds, she was fascinated by their size and speed – one of her major cross stitch projects were of hummingbirds which we displayed at her funeral.

    Today, while kids and husband were out, I was missing my Mom terribly. About 20 minutes later, I looked out my kitchen window to see a male cardinal and male hummingbird eating at their bird feeders at the same time. After a few minutes, they flew away. Within a 10 minute span, both birds retuned twice. I was able to snap a picture with my Nikon the second time and with my iPhone the third time. I don’t care what anyone has to say, I know this was a sign from my Mom letting me know she was near. ;)

    Thank you for this post. I’m glad to see that another daughter missing her Mom was comforted by the sign of our friendly cardinals!!!

    • Melinda

      In addition to cardinals (she was born and raised in central Missouri, thus the St. Louis Cardinals connection), my mom also loved hummingbirds! I keep saying I’m going to buy some hummingbird feeders or plant something to attract them to our yard.
      I’m really sorry for your recent loss. It’s great that you are paying attention to the birds, and I hope you continue to find some comfort in these experiences.

  • Mark

    I’m new to this bird and afterlife thing so bear with me. My father passed last summer after a long battle with cancer and a host of other things. Shortly after it was my sister who told me she had been having an unusual number of bird encounters and she suspected it was my father reaching out to her. Since then, it is uncanny how many unusual encounters I have had. Two quick ones….at Thanksgiving I was alone and grilling our turkey out back when the most beautiful red cardinal came and sat on a limb close to me and just stared for maybe 5 minutes. What’s unusual is I live in a fairly crowded suburb and we don’t get many birds at all much less red cardinals. The second story was an encounter with a beautiful white egret that came out of nowhere and landed right in front of my car as I was entering a winery that my daughter works at in Napa. A birder who works there later told me that it was highly unusual to see an egret there and when I showed him a picture I took, he said it was an old male egret due to the grey feathers around his neck. I’ve gone on too long but the last thing you should know is my nickname for my dad was always ‘father bird’. Crazy, huh?

    • Melinda

      Thanks for sharing your story Mark, that is pretty wild! I think there would be more of these stories if more people looked up from their phones and paid more attention to what’s happening around them.

  • Denise

    I’ve been snapping pics of birds for more than 3 years.Every so often I would catch a glimpse of a red cardinal, perhaps half a dozen times in the 3 years. On 11/29/14, I spied a red cardinal and was able to take a pic and that night I was admitted to the hospital for emergency surgery. I came home on 12/4 and I have been having almost daily sightings. Sometimes there are multiple cardinals, sometimes they come and go throughout the day, and sometimes they show up as I call for them. I snap a picture almost every sighting with the exception of one or two and my picture journal tells the story. My dad is gone 16 years this July and I know he shows up to give me strength in these very dark and troubling times that I am presently experiencing (husband ill,mother ill,family turbulance) and I know he shows up to make sure I stay in the moment where there is no pain or sadness or worry or fear as often as possible. I am grateful for his presence and disappointed now when a day goes by without a sighting (too busy or whatever). They give me strength and strengthen my faith and if nothing else, that alone is a gift.

  • valerie

    My step dad passed just over a year ago and within one week of his passing I began seeing a cardinal here and there. I knew the first time I saw one that it was him, with everything I have in me. A sense of peace came over me at a very difficult moment and while those moments still occur he is there at every one. My son started seeing them as well and he said one actually stared at him through the window. After chatting a moment with him, my son said, “bye grandpa” and the cardinal flew away. While it still hurts at times, we have no doubt that he is with us and watching over us always.

  • LOUISE

    My Mom died at the age of 51 very suddenly when I was 3 months pregnant with my first child. She was so anxious to be a grandmother. My son was born 6 months to the day after she died. We had talked once about what we would like to come back to earth as when we would die. Her reply was a BIRD. It was Easter Sunday and my son was 1 month old. The family was in the living room and the baby was on a blanket lying on the floor. A bird hit the window several times as trying to get a look at the baby. I believe it was my Mom trying to see her grandchild. I never had heard about the connection of Cardinals to our loved ones that passed until Sunday Mothers Day and also my Mothers’ birthday. In church while praying Sunday – I asked Jesus and the Blessed Mother to give me a sign from my Mom who I miss so very much. Upon arriving home I noticed a little bird standing on my cement patio. It was so still it did not look real. It did not move. I thought perhaps it was an injured little bird. I walked over to it and knelt down and it did not move. Thought most birds would fly away if anyone would get close to them. It had brown sides and red down the center of its back, some red on its head and belly. I talked to the bird and it allowed me to run my finger down its back and pet its head and touch its feet. It was so soft and fragile. I went inside and brought out a saucer of water for it. It did not drink, but hopped onto the saucer. I believe this was my Mom visiting me on Mothers Day and her birthday – Jesus sent her to see me. I cried and cried but also felt so happy inside that my request was honored..
    I went inside the house and when I returned,she was gone. Later that day I told family members and was told about Cardinals and their connection to loved one who have passed. I researched Cardinals and discovered that I had seen a female Cardinal. This was the first time I had ever seen one and was amazed that I could actually touch it and that it was waiting for me to come home from church.

    • Melinda

      wow! That is an incredible story. I’m so glad the experiences have helped you with losing your mother. Your story made me cry.

      Just two months ago I had another incredible experience on a special day that involved a cardinal and I believe this experience, too, was a chance for my mom to tell me she’s still on this journey with me.

  • Liz

    Hi Melinda,

    After many similar occurrences related to Cardinals, I decided to look online for some insight and reinforcement of how I’ve been feeling since my mother passed away.

    My older brother drowned in 1993 when I was 13 and my mother was never same. We never doubted her love for us but my younger brother and I knew that she had a very special bond with my older brother.

    When we suddenly found out that mum had end stage colon cancer in 2013, there was some ease knowing that they would be reunited again and find happiness and peace after all these years.

    I took care of my mom at home for 9 months and at the end, she went to a hospice. While there, I would sit quietly and watch this amazingly cheap yet awesome bird feeder which literally gave a ‘birds eye view’. When mom passed, I wasn’t with her but arrived just after. Sitting quietly by her side I Looked up and saw a female and baby cardinal in the feeder and I just started crying. I knew it was them watching me and sending a message.

    When going through her belongings at home I kept coming across little nik naks that had cardinals on it. Every where I went, even ikea, I would see cardinal pictures, photos etc. It started to amaze me. I bought the same feeder and tried to entice one to my house for months. It wasn’t until I got a new job and was going through a rough time that I first saw the bird on my balcony. Since then, the cardinal comes to me when I’m having a rough time, contemplating life or thinking about her.

    Once again at a new job and the cardinal comes by my window daily on a tiny branch and looks in at me. I literally had my hand rubbing all over the window and looked in it’s eyes and knew that it is my mom. It gives me such peace.

    Thank you so much for sharing your story! I loved reading it as well as all the commentary from other people that have been blessed with this special connection to a loved one.

    Best wishes,

    Liz

    • Melinda

      Thanks for sharing your story, Liz. I too love reading everyone’s commentary and experiences with cardinals and loved ones.

  • Christy

    Hi Melinda,
    I do crafts and I was making some bird feeders so I was looking for some silly bird sayings, for some reason it brought me to this page. I enjoyed reading everyone’s stories about the Cardinals, I too had an unusual experience, our mother died in March 2011, I was very close to her and I am still having some rough days, anyway I went home after our mom died, my husband had to work so he wasn’t home yet, as soon as I entered my house I fell to the couch, I was so upset, crying etc. all of a sudden I heard pecking really loud and really hard on my bay window, I looked up and it was a Red Cardinal it keep pecking like it wanted to come in, for some weird reason, I felt it was my mom trying to comfort me, it stayed in the tree most of the day by my bay window, it gave me goosebumps, my husband came home and I told him about the Red Cardinal but I didn’t tell him, I thought it was my mom lol.. my husband was on third shift , so we stayed up a bit and then went to bed, we had a bench by our bedroom window and that following morning at 4:30 my husband and I heard a noise, we pulled back the curtains and there was that Red Cardinal sitting on the back of our bench and was pecking at our bedroom window of course it upset my husband a little he was so tired and was woke up by this bird, I still didn’t tell him, I felt it was my mom; the bird stayed there pecking for awhile and then flew away, throughout the summer I keep seeing the Red Cardinal, I shared this with my two sisters and they too, felt it was mom; my oldest sister came over one day and here comes that bird pecking on our bay window again, my sister and I looked at each other we already knew what one another was thinking lol…all of a sudden my husband gets up and goes towards the front door and was saying while walking towards the front door,”there’s that stupid bird again, what is going on with it?” He opened the door and went to shoo it away, I jumped up out of my chair and shouted, stop it, it’s my mom!! Oh know!! I can’t believe what I just did!! My husband looked at me like I was a crazy woman and my sister and I just laughed but he knew I really felt that way, the bird still comes around and my husband leaves it alone but we moved the bench away from our bedroom window. lol…I don’t care what anyone says, that bird brings me comfort and my mom and her sister Virginia that passed 8 months before my mom did both loved Red Cardinals!!

    • Melinda

      I felt the same way telling my husband. But now he always points out when a cardinal is near and I haven’t yet noticed it.

  • Geri

    My mother also loved Cardinals — both the St. Louis team and the ones in her home in St. Louis. She had quite a collection of figurines that people gave her over the years and displayed them all over her home. She always wore a cardinal pin and lived a long, vibrant life until she died suddenly at age 90. I live in Kansas City and my home backs up to a woods. When I sit looking out to the woods I often ask God to send me a redbird, especially on difficult days when I feel I really need my mom. I am amazed at how many times God sends me a redbird. I always respond with a “Hi, Mom” or a “Thanks, Mom”. God is good.

  • Jennifer

    I have seen a few cardinals since my mother’s passing. Most recently, I was driving to a job interview and saw one — I immediately thought how my mom was right next to me when I needed her, even if not in person. Thank you for sharing your story!

  • Liz

    The day of my daughters wake it was pouring rain. The rain stopped suddenly and a double rainbow appeared. Since then I have had lots of visits from female cardinals.

  • Ashley

    When my grandmother passed March of 2015 we saw a cardinal in the bushes on our way to the funeral. Something about that particular sighting did something to my spirit. Every once in a while when we would see cardinals, and realized that she had a few around the house that made us think of her. The day we found out my grandfather passed, before we found out the news we saw three cardinals one playing in the yard and two sitting in a tree across the street from our house. We couldn’t make quite the connection at first, but they show up when we feel that they are just saying hey to us.

  • Kim Cecchi

    My 13 year old daughter died from cancer on Mothers Day, 2015. As this sad day approaches this year, I am seeing a female and male cardinal every day, coming to our back patio. Every morning, the female pecks once or twice at the glass patio door, bringing me to see her…usually from another room! We also recently took a trip to Mexico, to try to get through the pain of losing our daughter. Our other daughter who is 12 came with us. We clearly all felt we were missing part of our family on the trip. We flew Frontier, our of Chicago, and low and behold, when we got off the plane, there was a red cardinal painted on the wing of the plane. Their fleet of planes all have wildlife photos on the wings. We knew Amanda was with us on vacation!

  • Irma Linda

    I believe there is some kind of connection for sure maybe this was her way of showing you that she will always be with you. My dad passed away in October of 2015 and it amazing that every time my heart feels heavy and I miss him like crazy I have an encounter with a cardinal as well. I always look forward to the visits :)

  • D. Coleman

    I hardly ever saw red birds until my son died. The very next morning after my son died, and the next few mornings afterwards, I would see a beautiful redbird perched directly across from my apartment. Each time I saw the redbird, I was sitting in my car. It immediately caught my attention, as I think they’re so beautiful, and I never saw them that often. It has now been almost a year and a half since my son passed, and I see redbirds almost daily. Almost every morning when I’m on my way to work, a redbird will fly across the street right in front of my car. It was happening so often that I couldn’t help but notice that this was a regular occurrence ever since my son died. I did not see the redbirds like that before, I would’ve noticed, because they always get my attention, because I think they are so beautiful. I’m amazed, because it’s not normal for a redbird to fly across the street directly in front of my car for pretty much on a daily basis for a year and a half, and counting

  • Dawn DaFonseca

    My mom died 3 weeks ago…I have been praying that she let me know she is in heaven happy with my dad. This morning I was awaken by the beautiful chirping of a bird. I go to my back porch window and I see this beautiful carninal right on the window sill… It sat there singing for a few minutes, then flew away. I instantly knew this was my mom telling me she was in heaven. Then as I questioned it, an ordinary house fly flew right on my nose…this was the real deal! My dad died at the age of 38…I was 6 years old at the time. He always said to us joking that when he died, he would come back as a fly and annoy us! Lol….now I know my mom is in heaven with my dad ?

  • kelekins

    My Gram passes away on the Thursday before Memorial Day 2017. On Memorial Day, my husband and I decided to just grill by ourselves as I was not feeling very social. I had previously started seeing cardinals prior to Gram’s death and had a feeling they were there to comfort me. I hadn’t mentioned it to anyone, but thought I would ask my husband if he had been seeing them too. As soon as I asked he pointed and said like that one. It was a female sitting on the fence. A little while later he pointed out a male in the tree at our deck level. The female was a branch or so below. The birds sat there and stared at us while we ate our lunch. My husband commented that he had never seen a bird so fixated on humans before. It was reassuring to say the least. A few weeks later I was talking with my cousin about missing our Gram and simply stated that I have been seeing a lot of cardinals lately. He then told me my story verbatim. He and his wife were on their deck when a male and a female cardinal started at them from a tree near their deck. It was deja vu. This confirmed to me that my grandparents our visiting me from heaven and this brings me so much comfort.

  • Dawn M DaFonseca

    Hi, I just read everything here and was crying. It is exactly what happens to me when I need my mom! Everything single time I ask her to please come visit me somehow, she shows up as a cardinal. It’s not just any ordinary cardinal, it is different. It seems to know I’m there and looks right at me as if to connect as one. I know it is my mom! I don’t care if anyone thinks I’m crazy either. So I feel blessed that I can still have some part of her, and to know she hears me when I need her. Thanks for sharing your story. ❤

    • Melinda

      Dawn, thanks for taking the time to read my post and to comment. I apologize for the long delay in replying. I hope you’re still getting visits from the cardinals.

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