Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Somewhere Over the Double Rainbow

For as long as I can remember, my Mom loved seeing rainbows in the sky.

One of my first memories of this was when I was in the 2nd grade. 

I had just received my first holy communion.

My parents had all our friends and family over to our house afterwards to celebrate.

The beautiful sunshine filled day quickly took a turn when rain began pouring out of the sky.

After the rain, the sun came back out in full force and there in the sky was a not one, but two beautiful rainbows.

I clearly remember standing on the back porch with my Mom, admiring something so magical.

I'll never ever forget it.

She turned to me and said, "That double rainbow is a sign from heaven from your Noni letting you know that she is here with you today."

My Mom had lost her Mom (my Noni) to cancer in 1993 - when I was only 4 years old. 

Although my memories of her are scarce, they are very strong.

Ever since then, rainbows have had great importance to me.

Fast forward to this past August. My Mom had taken a turn for the worse, and was in the hospital.

We had to make the difficult decision to take her home on hospice care.

Before we left the hospital, my aunt said to her, "Sylvia, when you get to heaven, you have to give us a rainbow so we know you're okay."

My Mom's response was, "I can do that."

But then my aunt pushed a little harder, "Actually, make that a double rainbow."

"I'll try", my Mom said.

My Mom's fiercely and fearlessly fought battle with breast cancer came to an end on August 12th.

In the days following, we all kept our eyes open for signs. 

For something, anything, to bring us comfort and let us know she was okay.

On September 12th, exactly one month later, we had a torrential rain storm. 

After the rain, the sun began to shine bright, and there in the sky was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

I still get chills down my spine thinking about it.

A double rainbow.

Right when I needed it most.


This photo, shot by one of our neighbors, is taken from the top of our street.

The rainbow on the right, the brighter of the two, appears to end exactly where our house stands.

Thanks, Mom.

5 comments:

  1. Love love love. What a special story. There's nothing quite like the bond between a mother and daughter.

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  2. That is such an incredible story. I have no doubt your mother is looking down on you, just like my grandmother is looking down on me.

    xx

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  3. Tears. So many tears! This is absolutely beautiful. Thanks for sharing this (and her!) with us :)

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  4. That story gave me chills. I am so very sorry for your loss, and I hope that you continue to have amazing experiences like this that remind you of your mom looking down on you.

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