I know when we enter Heaven we are greeted by God. It’s a reunion unlike any reunion we have ever known. A gazillion times better than any Skytress-Skyter reunion at any crew lounge or airport. And we all know those reunions are epic! After we are bathed in the pure love of God, we are greeted by our family and friends that have passed before us. That reunion is Heavenly….But, of course! I know God will stand back and rejoice even more. Then a short time later he will take us by his Fatherly hand and walk us over to his treasure chest. God understands the joyful celebration in Heaven upon our arrival home. He, also, understands the sadness and grief taking place with our loved ones on Earth because we are no longer with them in body. So, God gently opens up his treasure chest. He tells us we can choose any sign we want to let our loved ones on Earth know we are safe and happy in Heaven. God is gracious. He lets us select the perfect sign for each person. God knows our Earthly family will be looking for signs. As children, we meticulously searched for the perfect treasure in the dentist or pediatrician’s treasure chest to take home with us. In Heaven, we will meticulously and lovingly search for the perfect sign to send to our loved ones on Earth. The signs will be plentiful. Best of all, we can send them anytime. God’s treasure chest is as infinite as his love.

When my Dad went to Heaven he knew exactly the perfect treasure to send me. He sent me snow. Beautiful ethereal snow. Snow globe snow. My Dad knew snow makes me happier than happy. The moment I saw the first snowflake I knew my Dad had sent it specifically for me. My Dad was…and is…the best Dad.

When my friend Japes passed away I was sitting in the Target parking lot. I was saying a prayer of thanks to him for encouraging me with my blog. When he was extremely sick, Japes, took the time to write me a beautiful note. As I was thinking of Japes and how much his friendship meant to me, the most glorious rainbow appeared over the Target parking lot. I know without a doubt, Japes picked that rainbow out of God’s treasure chest just for me.

When my beloved Ron went to Heaven he picked out a beautiful red cardinal out of God’s treasure chest specifically for me. Ron knew my affinity for cardinals. As I sat outside on our patio talking to Ron, a red cardinal poked his head sheepishly out of a bush. It stared right at me for a long time and didn’t move. I looked at the cardinal and said, “ I see your sign Ron Paden. I’m going to be okay”. Then the cardinal flew closer to me. It was a treasure my heart absolutely needed.

I know Ron and my Dad frequent God’s infinite treasure chest. I can picture their mischievous grins as one, or the other, picks out a Heavenly sign to brighten my day. I can hear their laughter as I spy their Heavenly sign and recognize it from one of them. Yessiree. I surely treasure God’s treasure chest…. as much as Ron and my Dad do.

This past Saturday morning I was looking out our kitchen window. I saw a beautiful butterfly fluttering around the flowers and patio table. I sensed it was trying to tell me something. What, I did not know. I eventually sat down at the kitchen island. The butterfly came closer to the patio door. It was flying all around determined to keep my attention. I continued to watched it. It gave me such a peaceful feeling. A moment later I received a text from my dearest friend, Tara. She texted me that her mother, Mary, had passed away that morning. Tara and her sister, Shannon…my other dearest friend…were sitting with her when her soul went to Heaven. I knew at that moment Mary had been in God’s treasure chest. A butterfly was the perfect sign for Mary to send me to confirm she was safe and happy in Heaven. Today, when I was writing this blog post about Mary, another butterfly landed on my knee. I took numerous pictures of it. Five minutes later it gently flew away. Yessiree. Mary was definitely in God’s treasure chest again. Before it flew away, I talked to the butterfly. I thanked Mary for all the wonderful things she had done for me. I’ve known Mary since Tara, Shannon and I were three and four years old. Mary was not only a mother to Tara, Shannon and her daughter Maura,….she was a bonus mother to me, my sisters and brothers. For this I am eternally grateful.

Mary was not only a wonderful mother. She is the person responsible for me becoming a Skytress. Becoming a Skytress was never…ever… on my radar. I’ve talked to many Skytresses and Skyters, who since childhood, dreamed of their office being 35,000 feet in the air. I, on the other hand, dreamed of my office being at Rogers Centre. An executive office as the owner of the Toronto Blue Jays. I admit. I, also dreamed of my office being the front seat of a Secret Service Agent’s black SUV. Yessiree. Those were my dreams. Incredulously, when I graduated from college the prospect of me being the owner of the Toronto Blue Jays was grim. I’m proud to state I secretly held on to my Secret Service dream. However, that’s story for another day. After I graduated the prospect of me using my Business Communications degree in Advertising and or Public Relations was grim, too. Unfortunately, the economy was in a downturn. Companies were getting rid of their Advertising and Public Relations departments. So, I decided to pivot and go to law school to become a sports attorney. Amazingly, Mary intervened with another plan. She suggested I apply to become a Skytress at her Air Line. Egads! Becoming the owner of the Toronto Blue Jays seemed more achievable for me than becoming a Skytress. I was not Skytress material. My height and weight were far from the Air Line’s requirements. Yessiree. Even in the 1990’s airlines had height- weight restrictions. Heck. Based on my weight, my height would need to be twenty feet tall to meet the height to weight ratio. Give or take a few feet, of course. I didn’t want to let Mary down. She believed I could become a Skytress, so I believed. I worked out 2 hours in the morning. Two ours in the evening. I tried my hardest not to gain any muscle. I was smart enough to know muscle weighed more than fat. For once, fat was my friend. I ate a bagel for breakfast and then sustained myself with Diet Coke until dinner. After a couple of months, I was at my height- weight requirement. Shortly thereafter, I flew out to Los Angeles for my Skytress interview. A few days later I got my rejection letter. Yessiree. Mary knew I would be a great Skytress. Unfortunately, the people conducting the interviews in Los Angeles did not feel the same way. In my heart I knew I had failed Mary. I felt worse about this than not getting the Skytress job.

To this day, I don’t know what favors Mary called in. But, a few days after my rejection letter, Mary called and told me I had another interview with the Air Line in Atlanta. Truthfully, I shouldn’t call it an interview. I never really interviewed with anyone. I went into a room with two amazing Skytresses who repeatedly told me how much they loved and admired Mary. They measured my height and weight. They nodded in agreement when they gave me an extra half-inch on my height. An extra half-inch meant I could have an extra 3 pounds on my weight. A little buffer would be great they told me. They asked me if I would like to go to training the following week. I was gobsmacked. These beautiful, kind, funny ladies were telling me I had the Skytress job. They told me I would need to pass the hearing test and vision test. But, as far as they were concerned, I was bumping them up in seniority. My head was swirling. Long story short, I passed my tests, got my acceptance letter and days later I was at the Training Center in Atlanta. Yessiree. This all happened because of Mary. Thirty- six years and a million marvelous memories later, I am still thanking Mary for changing the trajectory of my life. I admit. This afternoon I had grateful tears in my eyes when I told the Heavenly butterfly, “thank you”. Ah yes, butterflies. They are the most perfect Heavenly sign from Mary to me. Butterflies are insect aviators. Mary knew I would get the airline connection immediately. God knows I most certainly did!

I know people will emphatically say the Bible doesn’t mention God’s treasure chest of Heavenly signs. Not one word. They will argue the signs we believe are from our loved ones in Heaven…. are just coincidences. These people will proclaim we read too much into Heavenly signs to find respite from our unfathomable grief. I would never question someone’s beliefs when it comes to God or the Bible. Their faith is their faith. I, however, know the first person to place a treasure chest in a doctor’s or dentist’s office got that Devine inspiration from God. How did God know a treasure chest would be the perfect thing in an office to bring comfort and joy to those who received a gift from it? Silly, he knew from having his own Heavenly treasure chest. That is what my faith tells me. So, I will continue to look for my Heavenly signs from God’s treasure chest. I know each sign will be filled with eternal love from Heaven. What a glorious treasure from God to us. Amen!