Mary Emma McCraw

 

On March 22, 2008, a little red bird flew to my side during the darkest moment of my life – I had just received the news that my sister Mary had lost her life. I was standing outside in the breezeway of my home, lost in grief when a beautiful red cardinal landed on the shrub in front of me. He took my breath away; he was such a vibrant sight. For a moment, my pain disappeared. The very next day I flew to Texas to prepare for my beautiful sister’s wake. As I was driving down the main road to the funeral home I couldn't believe what was flying right next to me. Not one, but two beautiful red cardinals, racing me to the home. The little red bird was just the beginning to the many signs and synchronicities that showed me that there is more after this life and there is more all around us.

Sweet Cecilia - RED BIRD FLIES

 

RED BIRD FLIES- Story Behind the song 

YouTube Song

"When cardinals appear, angels are near".  This saying weighed heavy on my heart last summer.  Literally everywhere I went cardinals were around.  I was riding the 4 wheeler with my two boys and the song just came to me.  My angels were with me too..  1st Verse is about our dear friend Stacie Campbell.  2nd verse is about our sweet little cousin Isley Thibodeaux who was killed by a drunk driver after the Carrie Underwood concert.  3rd Verse- about my Dad.  4th verse- Jillian Johnson and Mayci Breaux...the beautiful young women who were killed during the Grand Theater shootings.  This song is deep but I hope it will bring comfort to those who have lost loved ones.  Thanks Uncle Rex Berard for the picture.

Visit our website:  SweetCeciliaGirls

Laura Huval "Sweet Cecilia" from Cecilia, LA

Feathers in My Path

Collage of Feathers in my path 

#LoveFromAbove

Signs at just the right times!

 

Mary visits

Fun feather in my path early this morning..   I hadn't had one in a while.  I was thinking this earlier this week and then this happens. 

Then I run into a train friend I hadn't seen in a long time, she took the subway with me and even paid my fare so I didn't have to wait in line.  Then, I ran into her Again at the end of the day and rode the LIRR with her.  Such good company. Made for a nice way to end my day.  She has to order dinner for her family so I sat and listened as she called her restaurant of choice... "Mary's"!   Lol yes, Mary's in Farmingdale, NY.  Most of the times I wouldn't think much if it, but for me, it was another sign from my Mary.  She's all around me and loving that I'm catching her signs. I know she is.

Well, one more .... I get home and found this special gift in the mail box.   A Luca and Dani cardinal bracelet from my friends in Florida!!!! 

I Hear You

 #SIGNS:

Crazy thing, I was in Penn  station just now and ended up buying a special hat with a cardinal on it for my brother David. The lady who sold it to me asked what the Cardinal meant to me. HA - little did she know what she asked 🤣. I kept it brief, but it was def all about my Mary.  Then I decided to treat myself to a red mango frozen yogurt to celebrate my Monday being my Friday 🤸.  I felt like I'd found a gem in that hat store and felt happy.  Moments later I saw I got a text from Mary's husband with pictures of my nephew Brett with his girlfriend Brenda on Christmas day.  My heart filled with love.  Then....  I hear my name, "Jeni"... "Jeni"... "Jeni"!  It sounded exactly like Mary's very distinctive high pitched voice.  I was looking everywhere, it sounded far away but close at the same time.   By the 3rd "Jeni" I saw where I thought it was coming from....... but it stopped.  It was crazy -I got goose bumps all over - I felt her presence I swear I did.  

Angels in the Least Expected Places

Angels are Among Us!

I saw the sweetest thing last week in a restaurant I was in.   The cutest older couple I've ever seen in line holding hands  they must have been in their 90's, I saw the husband was wearing a WWII hat and instantly had a love and respect for this couple.  As I was I was leaving I saw the pretty little lady with her head bowed down praying and then did the end of prayer "father, son, holy ghost" gesture and opened her eyes with a smile.  You don't see that these days.  This couple warmed my heart.  I actually thought about them a few times throughout the  week and when I did, it brought a smile to my face and a feeling of comfort came over me. 

Anyways....today I went to the same restaurant and couldn't believe it when I saw this same couple two people in front of me again, just like last week.  They sat at their same table.  This time I walked up to the lady and told her how I saw them last week and was so touched to see her pray before her meal.  She told me that sometimes that's all we have - our faith and hope.  I told her I agreed and that I hope to see them again.  I went back to my spot to wait for my meal to go and in about 5 minutes I felt her hand on my arm and she said to come quickly, she had a table for me in this busy restaurant.  She was so sweet.  The restaurant worker was calling my name for my order just then so I told her I'd be right there.  

I had to tell her my order was to go and my husband was waiting in the car for me but thanked her for thinking of me.   She asked my name and after I told her, I asked hers...... Tears formed and my heart skipped a beat when she told me her name was Mary! 👼❣️

I told her that was a very special name to me and that my sister Mary was in heaven.  The kind little lady touched my arm again and said that my sister wants me to know that she is with me.

I truly am blessed!

Former Student of Mary's

It is so special when I receive kind memories of Mary.  They are little blessings.  I received a little blessing today in the form of an email and want to share it here on my Mary blog, where it belongs, in my treasure chest of  my Mary's "Memories to Cherish".  Thank you John A for taking the time to let us all know what a gift Mary's presence was to you.  She made a difference to so many and she didn't even know it.  Well,  I believe she knows it now.

This is an email from someone who Mary had taught years ago when she was a teacher:

FORMER STUDENT OF MARY'S

To repeat the title of my email, I'm a student of Mary's who hasn't had the chance to speak with her since my freshman year of high school back in 2001/2002.

I wanted to reach out to her to let her know that I took her lessons to heart, and that I never settled down with the wrong type of woman because of the way she taught us. She always preached that you should find a partner who you could realistically spend the rest of your life with, and she was the only adult in my youth who spoke honestly with us about the difficulties of marrying the right or wrong person.

I was unaware of her passing until I tried to find her decades later, and because I see now that I can't thank her in person for being a hugely positive influence on myself, I want to reach out to you and tell you how your sister impacted a generation of young men and taught us how to respect women while still being men.

She was an incredible woman, a huge influence on me during my younger years, and I don't know how to begin expressing my sympathy for the post of your sister. 

I read through the entirety of your blog, and I feel like I learned so much about a woman who I consider to be a true mentor during my early manhood. Thank you so much.

Hospital Love

I had surgery on my foot today - I had a plantar plate tear that wouldn't heal on its own.  

I've had a few surgeries in the last couple years,  and it never fails,  my sweet sister Mary always, ALWAYS appears.  

As soon as we got to the Hospital, a kind receptionist we met helped us with a parking situation. There was no handicap parking for my husband to park the van.  He insisted he drop me off while he went to find a space further away where no'one could park next to him, allowing the wheelchair ramp to open. He called me a few minutes later and said there was no parking anywhere :(.  oh boy!  Well,  the kind receptionist who heard my call told me to have him come park by the entrance and she would watch his van while he waited with me before I went into surgery.  She was so sweet.  She even came out from behind the desk to help with the situation.  It was a kind offer.  Something inside me nudged me to ask her name and my jaw dropped when she said her name was Mary!! 

Greeted and helped by a Mary and one of my pre op nurses was Mary Ann and then one of my post op nurses was Maria (Italian for Mary)!!! 

OH and a little bonus:  after surgery, they offer to give me some snacks and when they brought me these delicious little bag of gluten free ginger snap cookies by a brand named Lucy,  I knew it was my dear friend Nadia's sister Lucy who I adored and loved instantly.  She had passed away a year ago on December 1st.  I felt very connected to her and was so sad when she suddenly died.  I had hoped her and my Mary would find each other.  Looks like they did.  

It was confirming to know I wasn't alone. 🙏👼❌⭕ #LovefromAbove #Angelsamongus

Sister Signs in a time of need

I've been thinking of my Mary lately and I feel like she's been around a  little more too.  She's always been my cheerleader, especially when I need her most. This was one of those times.

Today I received this positive affirmation that spoke to me and I just knew it was meant for me when it appeared in my social media feed:

Then, as I was headed to an appointment, a big cardinal on a truck crossed my path.

But it was this final sign that confirmed it:
As I was in the waiting area for my appointment, a sweet lady came in with her mom and two young daughters,  one was about 4 and the other had some disabilities that required tubes in the nose and she was still in a stroller. Well, the grandma kept the 4 year old busy by playing with her and talking about her different toys she had with her.  I was so entertained and also intrigued.  I couldn't believe how much she resembled Mary as a toddler.  Very distinct features like my Mary.  I smiled a loving smile at them letting them know I enjoyed their company.  Then, the grandma said the toddlers name.... Can you guess what it was?? Yup, Mary! My heart swelled up and I felt a rush of love flow through me.  Then I looked back at them again and caught  the little sister with disabilities staring at me so I blinked, she blinked back. We blinked to each other with smiles a few more times and then they were called to their appointment.  What a treat.  I feel so blessed and had to share it with whoever would like to hear. There is magic out there, there really is, we just have to keep our eyes and our hearts open to see.  Most importantly  #Believe 👼