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When I was a kid, maybe about 10 years old, an aunt passed away and I overheard my mom talking to another aunt that my younger cousin (the favorite of my deceased aunt) felt the presence of my deceased aunt. One night (just a few days after our aunt passed away), my cousin was sleeping and he was awakened by someone pulling the end of his blanket. My cousin was 8 or 9 at that time and I knew he was telling the truth but at the same time, I don't know what to make of the story coz it doesn't make sense, right? Through the years, I would hear similar stories of blanket-pulling experiences but being a logical person, I still can't comprehend the phenomenon.
Then last week, I received an SMS that a good friend passed away and I was so shocked. I can't believe he's gone. The thought of knowing you'll never be able to talk to a friend is heartbreaking.😢
Like most of my good friends, we don't see each other regularly but we catch up at random times throughout the year and during special occasions. Our last phone conversation was before Christmas when he was on his way to my place to bring his Christmas gift for me but I already had other get-togethers scheduled that day so I wasn't able to meet him. Of course, I blamed him for not giving me a heads up coz otherwise, I would have been able to fix my schedule better.
Our last SMS conversation was when we opened the Christmas gifts we gave each other. We still exchanged Christmas and New Year greetings but only generic greetings. I was preoccupied with something else over the holidays so I didn't really have time to send personalized greetings to a lot of people. I just replied back to those who greeted me.
I was so shocked by his sudden passing away. What could have possibly caused his death? I knew he had cancer a long time ago but he has been on remission for more than 10 years. I don't remember him telling me he was sick again. Other common friends started messaging me to ask what was the cause of his death coz they knew we're in touch. But sadly, I didn't know.
Later on, I found out that he sent a message just before Christmas to selected people (I know of at least 2 from our common circle) about his health condition and his request for prayers for healing - though his cause of death was cardiac arrest, not that of his sickness. Some people were asking me during the wake if I got his message and I said no. I joked that maybe he didn't think I am prayerful enough or maybe we weren't that close after all as everyone thought. 😅
Anyway, the next day (4th day of his death), I was tracing an old message thread with a supplier on FB messenger and as I was scrolling through my FB messages last year, I saw my friend's name. Guess what? He did send me the message about his declining health condition, how he was in pain 24/7 (but not due to cancer but another sickness) and his request for prayers for healing! 😠The message was marked opened but I never remember reading it. 😩😩ðŸ˜ðŸ˜I have this habit of sometimes opening messages, then when I get distracted (e.g. someone suddenly talks to me, or a call or another message suddenly comes in) or when I think the message is a forwarded message, I would just make a mental note that I'll read it later. And sometimes, I forget until the sender follows up.🙈
I felt super, super guilty! Imagine, in his mind, the message was read but I ignored his cry for help. ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ So I asked for St Pio's intercession that night to send him a message - that I was terribly sorry and guilty for not being there for him coz though the message was marked as "read", I failed to read it. And to also tell him that he should have messaged me via SMS coz he knows I don't use FB in the first place. And that he should have badgered me for such an important concern. I know right, I really had to make hirit - just like in our regular conversations. Haha... Then I told St Pio that I wanted to know if (1) he got my message and (2) if he accepts my sorry. Then I slept at 1:30am.
I was in deep sleep when suddenly, I felt that there was someone tugging the end of my blanket. It was as if someone was lifting the end of my blanket to create ripples coz I could feel the ripples as they moved towards the top of my blanket. My immediate thought was that I was just dreaming and tried to move my feet by slightly kicking (coz if you're having a nightmare, the first thing that you have to do is to try to move your extremities - toes or fingers). I was able to easily move my feet so I knew that I wasn't having a nightmare but the ripples continued - it's as if the ripples won't stop until I get up. I woke up groggy and a little agitated (coz I love to sleep and I don't like it when my sleep is interrupted), and I immediately sat up from my bed to check what was going on but there was no one at the foot of my bed. My friend's last Christmas gift to me though was at the foot of my bed. But I dismissed everything coz what I felt happened didn't make sense. I was alone at home so nothing could have happened. It was just all a dream.
I re-positioned on my bed to sleep and went back to close my eyes. My right arm was resting on top of a side pillow, when suddenly, I just felt my right arm jerk and it fell on the bed. My side pillow got pulled! I couldn't explain how that could have possibly happened coz there is a wall on my right side and there is so little space between me, the pillow and wall so I could not have done it unconsciously. Then it occurred to me - could this be the sign that my friend got my message and he accepts my sorry (or was getting back at me so we're even)?! Coz it's similar to all the blanket-pulling stories I've heard before and I couldn't believe it would happen to me someday. But I didn't get scared ... though it would have been better if it were a simpler sign like a butterfly, or a flower or some kind of object we share common interest in. 😆
Now here's the thing - when I told a couple of our common friends about it, they said they would have freaked out if it happened to them. During the funeral, one of my friends also confessed to me that when his dad passed away, he had a similar experience. While asleep, her head pillow suddenly got pulled out and her head fell outside of the bed. She said it was her dad's way of saying to change for the better coz she and her dad had a love-hate relationship. But she said she doesn't want to experience something like that ever again so to make sure our friend doesn't make his presence felt to her, she's going to wear something red when she sleeps to make her invisible to spirits or won't attract spirits (or something like that).
So after I got influenced from my friends that the experience was scary, I prayed to St Pio to tell my friend - no more signs and no more felt presence, please! Haha... 😂 And for him to enjoy his afterlife journey and that I would continue to pray for him. And I also moved his last Christmas gift to me to another location. 😅
In case you want to send a message to a departed loved one, you can ask for St Pio's intercession. Trust that your message would reach the intended recipient. No need to ask for any sign. 😅 Incidentally, when we entered the cemetery during my friend's funeral, guess what was the nearest street to his final resting place? St. Pio Street. What a coincidence, right?
Anyway, before you go, I hope you spend a few seconds to say a short prayer for your departed loved ones too:
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.
And let perpetual shine upon them.
May they rest in peace.
Amen.
