Winks from heaven
Do you believe in winks from heaven?
Not just signs from the universe (which I believe in and wrote about in my first blog post), but something more personal, like God or a loved one showing you that they're here, that they're listening?
Yesterday, my husband and I were driving to town for groceries, a casual 50 minutes away (yes, this is our life). The kids were asleep, so naturally, we began discussing the big stuff. The kind of deep life convos that only seem to happen in the car. And just when we started deep-diving on a certain faith-based topic, we looked up to find a perfectly shaped cloud heart in the sky; a wink from heaven.
Tomorrow marks 16 years since my husband’s sister passed. She was just 19, taken suddenly in a car accident. I met him a week later. At the time, I was engaged to someone else and feeling completely stuck. My (now) husband was grieving the loss of his sister and struggling in his own way. We were both just surviving.
The story of how we met could be its own novel, but here’s the short version: we locked eyes from across the room (cheesy but true) and talked into the early morning like we had known each other all our lives. We went deep that night, like we did yesterday in the car. And it was love at first sight; the kind you see in movies. I’ve always believed his sister brought us together. That was the first—and biggest—wink from heaven I’ve ever received.
Sixteen years later, we have three wonderful kids, an (at times) messy, but joyful marriage, and a life we’re truly grateful for.
There have been other winks, too; less dramatic ones. My mom has always believed that when a sunbeam breaks through the clouds, it’s her dad looking down. And every time I see that golden light slicing through the dark clouds, I pause.
Some of my friends experience these winks in butterflies, rainbows, feathers, crows… they show up differently for every person.
If your heart is open, I believe you’ll see them too. My faith tells me God shows up exactly when we need Him. This belief gets me through my hardest days.
So, how are these winks different than these signs from the universe? Well, obviously it’s all up to interpretation, and everyone has their own beliefs, but here’s my take on it all.
When I’m in pain or overwhelmed, I pray. God always answers, sometimes soon afterwards, sometimes after a season of waiting, but the answer always comes. It’s a practice in patience.
When I’m thinking of a loved one who’s passed, I often feel their presence in signs like the ones I’ve described above, winks from heaven.
In my belief, God created the universe, so to me it’s all connected. But I see signs from the universe as different; they often show up when I’m actively thinking about something, while winks from heaven arrive exactly when I need them most. In other words, God is orchestrating the big picture, while the universe offers gentle nudges to guide me along the way.
I’d love to hear your winks from heaven, those moments that made you pause and feel something bigger at work. Send me a message if you’d like to share. These stories are even sweeter when we share them.
