PaperWork: So what pops into your head when you see a red cardinal?

I talk to Mom and Dad now and then. Their photo.

That’s not unusual, right? But I also talk to my dad when I see him perched on a limb or wire. I see him often as I’m driving.

I’m referring to the red-tailed hawk, a beautiful and majestic bird.

The hawk was Dad’s totem or spirit animal. Everything he painted or drew included in the background two birds in flight. They were red-tails, representing him and Mom, together. So when I see a red-tail along the highway I think it’s Dad, watching over me.

But do I believe in signs? Well, it feels right sometimes. And it feels comforting every time. And that also is not unusual.

I recently wrote about Jim Tucker, a professor of psychiatry and neurobehavioral sciences at the University of Virginia. He is a reincarnation researcher and author who now believes part of us, our consciousness, does “live” on after death.

I received a lot of feedback from readers sharing personal stories related to this mystery of life, including one from Walt F.

“I’m not sure of connections between ‘this world’ and ‘the afterlife’ but they’re super interesting to ponder,” he wrote. “I expect a lot of us ‘older adults’ have family stories and legends with that sort of subject matter that we brought along with us after hearing them in our childhood ... Old Wives' Tales and the like. I also suspect that a lot of ‘connections’ we observe are made in our own minds.

“Our families had a saying that when someone dies, they’ll send a message back when they make it to Heaven, and they may visit you from time to time afterwards. We’ve had more than our share of ‘happenings’ that we shrug and smile about. No, we’ve never seen any ‘people’ be they wisps of vapor or just a ‘presence,’ although we do have a ceramic plaque on the back deck saying, ‘When a cardinal appears in your yard, it is a visitor from Heaven.’ ... Happily, we have lots of the pretty red birds.”

What Walt is calling “happenings” I guess many might see as signs. And his reference to the cardinal as a sign is quite common. I think the often used saying is, “Cardinals appear when angels are near.”

Seeing this beautiful bird, especially during a time of sorrow, is uplifting and sparks hope and could help us connect to loved ones who are gone. The cardinal is perfect, a reminder of the beauty in life – past, present and future.

Not all signs come from nature. I was reminded of this recently when fellow writer and friend Jerrilyn Novak shared a sudden connection to memories of her father.

“Dad loved Snickers, especially right out of the freezer,” she said. “The first Christmas after he died, I bought a Snickers bar and laid it on his grave. I intended to make it an annual practice, but haven’t. That first year was symbolic enough.

“This morning, on a whim, I opened my Casey’s app to see how many fuel points I have. When I opened it, I got a pop-up ad for two Snickers bars for $4.50.

“Really?!

“Maybe it means something, maybe it doesn’t.

“To me, a few days shy of the day I last saw him 11 years ago, it means the world.

“Maybe I’ll pick up a couple of Snickers bars today. It seems the right thing to do.”

I kept thinking about what she said: “Maybe it means something, maybe it doesn’t.” I guess I could say the same about red-tailed hawks.

But you know what? If you feel something ... if you get some kind of message, then it is a sign. It’s exactly what it is in that moment, just for you.

Whatever has meaning, whatever triggers memories for you, is significant. The memories might not always be pleasant. But they still belong to you.

I hope the new year ahead is full of signs for everyone. The ones that make you smile ... and give you hope.

Even if it’s a Snickers bar.

• Lonny Cain, retired managing editor of The Times in Ottawa, also was a reporter for The Herald-News in Joliet in the 1970s. His PaperWork email is lonnyjcain@gmail.com. Or mail The Times, 110 W. Jefferson St., Ottawa, IL 61350.