Not long ago, I made a quiet request into the universe. My sister was awaiting biopsy results, and I asked my stepdad, who passed away several years ago, to send me a hummingbird if he was watching over her.
My mom associates hummingbirds with him. It’s become her symbol, her way of feeling his presence. So I borrowed it, hoping for a small sign of comfort and connection when I needed it most.
At first, nothing. I convinced myself it was a bad sign, that things wouldn’t end well. But ever since my sister got her results, I’ve seen a hummingbird in some form almost every single day.
Coincidence? Maybe. But I also think it’s a reminder to slow down, to look around, and to stay open to the possibility that we’re not as alone as we sometimes feel.
We all have symbols like this. A song. A scent. A place. A flicker of movement at just the right moment. We give them meaning, and in doing so, they become ways we hold on. It’s easy to drift through the day on autopilot. But sometimes, something catches your attention—a flash of color, a sound, a feeling—and it brings you back.
Maybe that’s the point. Not whether the sign is real or imagined, but that it makes you pause. That it helps you remember. That it helps you feel.
Lately, I have been trying to move past that mental roadblock. I have realized that when someone is going through something, it is not about having the perfect words. They are not dissecting every phrase you say. They are just grateful you cared enough to reach out. Even a simple “thinking of you” message or a quick call can mean far more than we might realize.
It is not always easy. Life gets busy and time slips away. But in those moments, the length of time since you last spoke, or the depth of your relationship does not matter. What matters is showing you care. For me, it has been a reminder that these small gestures create connection. They help bridge the spaces we unintentionally let grow between us and remind us that none of us are alone.
This year, I am working on silencing the hesitation. Even when I do not have the perfect words, I have come to see that simply reaching out, no matter how small the effort, can make all the difference.
