Cardinal Angels

Today marks five years of my Mom’s passing.  I still miss her so much.  Although there are still many difficult moments like right now, I have learned to smile and live the good memories.

Days after Mom’s passing, someone passed on to my daughter, who passed on to me, the saying, “When Cardinals appear, Angels are near.”

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Northern Cardinal (male)

I had never heard this before.  And I loved Cardinals, but rarely ever seen any, although I was always looking.  Red is my favorite color, and I considered the Cardinal in my top five favorite birds.

Within days after the funeral, suddenly, I saw a Cardinal.  And then soon another.  Weeks later, another.  And many since.  When I’d least expect it.  At times when life wasn’t going as planned.  At times when I needed my Mom.  At times when I needed to smile.

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Northern Cardinal (male)

From the time I saw that first Cardinal after her passing, I started saying, “Hi Mom, miss you”.  Maybe I said a few other things.  At first, of course, the tears would flow uncontrollably.  But it also felt good, a comfort.

So I kept on doing it.

And today, five years later, I still do it; but now with that smile I mentioned.  😊

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Northern Cardinals (males)

Since arriving to South Carolina, I have Angels flying everywhere!

The RV resort is host to a number of resident Cardinals.  The first morning after our arrival, we awoke to five Cardinals sitting on the bush outside our RV window.  My smile was a mile wide as I said, “Hi Mom!”

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Northern Cardinal (female)

So maybe what I do seems silly to some, but to me it has become a comfort.  To remind me, even though we are apart, my Mom’s spirit is always with me, forever in my heart.

Love you, Mom, miss you so much.  And Mother Nature, please keep those Cardinals coming!  😊

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55 thoughts on “Cardinal Angels”

  3. Hello Donna, this brought a tear to my eye. I am sorry your mother passed away 5 years ago, but glad that the appearance of these cardinals brings a smile to you heart. Thank you for sharing with us, and as always, such beautiful photos.

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  7. I adore them. I must have angels looking after me, Ken & this house. From the time I moved in, nearly nine years ago, we keep a pair, nesting close by…sometimes, more than one pair. I’ve watched them chase their babies around, as they learned to use their wings.

    I grew up with them as a child. They don’t migrate. They never leave. I think that is the reason they are our state bird…VA’s, too. I missed them, terribly, when I moved to TX.

    One bird I grew up with that didn’t ‘seem’ to migrate was the Robin. I saw them all the time as a child. Now, I rarely see them. When I moved to TX, no Cardinals and Robins only showed up in the Spring. So, naturally I thought there just weren’t that many in TX. I move back home a decade later and…no Robins. For the first two years, I saw some in the Spring & that was it. Now, nothing. I wish I knew what happened.

    I am sorry for the loss of your mom. I miss my grandmothers. My parents are still alive but, I have little to do with them.

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    • Thank you, Vic, for your share ❤ Your grandmothers are watching over you! I always think of my grandmother too, she was very special to me, and Pop Pop too.

      It’s a shame the changes in climate and environment have the birds moving around/away from their homes of long ago, I wonder if they feel confusion or is it an instinct born within to go when they feel they must.

      I thought the Cardinal was the state bird for a couple states; I just searched to confirm, then found out all these states have it as their official state bird – Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia. How nice!

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  8. What a great way to remember your mother and to be reminded of her. A cardinal used to be one of my favorite birds. Actually it still is but now I prefer the female cardinal over the male. Over the years the female has somehow acquired a “quiet” beauty in my mind while the male has become too garish. Oh crap, am I getting old?! 🙂

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  13. Red has long been a favorite color of mine and have always been thrilled to see cardinals, but had never heard the angel story. Thanks so much for sharing it! Happy travels…

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  15. It was 5 years in July since my mom passed. I hadn’t heard the cardinal story either until this past weekend when I was at Wild Birds Unlimited. It was on a coffee mug with a cardinal. I immediately thought of my mom. Nothing silly about having angels look out for you. We have a pair in our yard, but in the spring, we have 5-6 pairs. They are awesome birds! Thanks for sharing your story.

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      • Yes plus all the chicks. We usually have 1-3 chicks fledge with each pair. It is quite something to watch. We have a fountain in our backyard & it’s fun to watch them teach the young to survive. Then we have a red- shoulder hawk sitting on our feeders yesterday. Ugh! I know he had to eat too but he can go somewhere else. 😉

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  16. My Mom passed away many years ago, but I still miss her very much. I live in Georgia surrounded by Cardinals, I must be residing in heavens! I understand perfectly what you say, my friend Donna. Thank you for letting me know. 🙂 ❤

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  17. What a beautiful connection you have with your mum Donna, it almost makes me want to cry! You had such a wonderful relationship with your mum and miss her so much, and the Cardinal angels have become your sweet memory reminder of her love. Such a beautiful strength for you as you navigate your grief. Tears are our emotional drainage system and are so important for our health when suffering loss. The Lord continue to comfort you through the memory of your mum, and the legacy she left you. Your Cardinals do for you what my little friend Buth the Butcherbird does for me every time I hear his happy call. Birds are medicinal, they don’y just improve nature but also our human nature. Blessings dear friend:-)

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  18. Pingback: Cardinal Angels | This Christmas -Give a Gift or Card with Real meaning. God Bless You and Yours. WINDOWS FROM HEAVEN

  22. So sorry it’s taken me this long to “catch up”, but I must have known this was one not to be missed. So very, very sweet and sad at the same time, of course. Glad you’ve made it to the land of the Cardinal Angels with that big smile.

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    • Thank you, Gunta, very glad to hear from you, I’ve been worried. I hope you’re feeling much better, last night at prayers I said I was going to write to you today to check on you. Yes, I have found a little bit of Heaven here in SC. ❤ Mom’s birthday is in a couple days on the 12th….I’ll definitely be looking for Cardinals that day. 😊

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      • My mom gradually drifted away into dementia in her last ten years, then died on her birthday (Xmas eve). Seems as though this season is a tough one for so many folks. Hoping you’ll find many Cardinal Angels…

        I’m still struggling with the computer and the energy level has been far too slow in recovering, but I’m hanging in there. Just afraid to do much in Lightroom because it went a bit bonkers. I was way overdue to clean out all the rejects. I was shocked at how quickly I filled up a Tb with far too many RAW shots… sorting through them now to make room and it’s a boring process, so of course it goes far too slowly!!! 😦

        Other than that, we’re good! 😀

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        • Dementia is very tough on all. I am sorry for you and your Mom and the dates involved being close to the holiday. My Grandmother suffered from it too, it was so sad to see. My Mom went too soon at 74. She lived alone and suffered a stroke; I didn’t find her til 36 hrs later when I went to check on her, she didn’t return my phone call from day before. I was by her side for three weeks at the hospital, she slowly succumbed to the damage the stroke did because of no medical help for so long. Turning off her pacemaker was the hardest damn thing I have ever done in my life. It still hurts so much, but I know it was the right thing to do and it was her directive wish. 😢 The Cardinals have given me comfort ever since. And when I don’t see Cardinals, Great Blue Herons also remind me of her. GBHs were her favorite bird.

          On a lighter note, so glad to hear you’re both feeling better! I don’t like how long it takes to get over sickness as we age….it is NOT fun. Nor is it when sorting thru photos to make room for more, lol. Raw files are super big, but there are photos way back when that I wish I had shot in raw so I’ll keep on doing it….and deleting!

          Enjoy your week, Gunta. Thank you for listening!

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  24. Pingback: Northern Cardinal | Photos by Donna

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